Supporting a Great Tradition:  Apprenticeship

For decades, Ontario has carried out a rich tradition of paid, on-the-job training leading to a worker acquiring skills which can be used in many workplaces.  These skills belong to the worker, who traditionally “journeys” to job sites, where there is work. The qualified journeyperson teaches the apprentice the tools and skills needed to perform the job efficiently.

At least 80 to 90 percent of apprenticeship training is hands-on training and on-the-job training. The apprentice is paid an incremental wage while they learn.  The vital classroom portion of the apprenticeship takes place off the job site in Ontario’s Community Colleges and Union Training Centres.

The labour movement has played an important role in improving the rights and working conditions of journeypersons and apprentices. 

Our interest in this comes from two angles: we bargain for better wages, benefits, safer working conditions and equity for our skilled tradespersons.  Secondly, we ensure that any work that requires construction, industrial, auto, retail and service needs are provided by skilled tradespersons. This means that things like buildings, roads, homes, cars, airplanes, schools, and food products are safe for the public to use. 

This allows three basic things to happen:

1. The apprentice is taught properly by a qualified journeyperson to perform all functions of the whole trade. Health and safety awareness is an integral part of learning the trade.

2. The apprentice receives hands-on training under the mentorship of a journeyperson as an essential part of the learning process.  This cannot be taught in a classroom setting.

3. The apprentice is paid for his/her work that is set by regulation as a percentage of the journeyperson’s rate. Therefore, the apprentice is able to contribute as a viable taxpayer and benefit both society and the community of Ontario.

Dismantling the Trades with the Introduction of the Apprenticeship Certification Act

In the 1990s, the Conservative Government took a sledgehammer to the Apprenticeship Program, the same way they tried to dismantle our social programs, health and our education systems.

The Conservatives copied Britain’s Thatcher Government. Pieces of a trade are taught by replacing the traditional way of learning the whole trade.

The proactive lobby against this Conservative agenda was well fought by our Federation, its affiliates and labour councils, along with support from a number of employers.