As the College moves through its third year of operations, its Board of Governors and Registrar will be engaging in their own review of progress and thinking about areas for organizational improvement and strategic directions. The Minister and the Board were open to hearing about areas for improvement outside my terms of reference. I had this in mind as I welcomed stakeholders’ views.

Individuals offered thoughtful and constructive suggestions about the role of the College as steward for apprenticeship and the skilled trades in Ontario, opportunities to improve governance, and the need for active communication to the public and members of the College. Throughout the province, stakeholders said the review was an opportunity to clarify the role of the ministry and College, reinforce the regional diversity for the skilled trades in the province and streamline services and supports for apprentices and employers/sponsors through a client-focused approach.

Here is a summary of what I heard on these themes and my suggestions for consideration by the Minister and College.

Promotion of the trades and apprenticeship

Almost everyone I met with spoke about the important role of the College in promoting and elevating the trades, streamlining access and providing guidance or support for those interested in apprenticeship. Individuals and organizations I heard from said:

  • There is a lot of confusion about the College’s shared role in the apprenticeship system with the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU), and there is a feeling that service levels change or have changed without notice.
  • A common and major concern was the ongoing division of some responsibilities between the College and MTCU in the registration and examination process. Even in the absence of a full merging of these functions, there is no reason why clients should not receive these services in a seamless way. While outside my terms of reference, it seems to me that this is a service quality and brand vulnerability matter for the College. It can and should be fixed, easily and quickly. It should be noted that the 2012 Report of the Commission on Reform of Ontario’s Public Services (The Drummond Report)footnote 4 also recommended streamlining administrative responsibilities for apprenticeship.
  • Trade Boards and many stakeholders believe there should be better utilization of schools, with teachers and educators more equipped to promote apprenticeship as a pathway to good careers in the trades. They spoke about a broad range of potentially rewarding and fulfilling careers – from residential and commercial construction and automotive and equipment technicians and operators to hospitality and human services. The promotion of trades is especially critical for in-demand trades and occupations, and those facing shortages due to demographics and other factors.
  • The promotion of the trades includes raising the profile and understanding of the Certificate of Qualification (CofQ). In the same way, apprentices would benefit from recognition of their prior learning and training and from pathways to other postsecondary credentials. It was also evident that tradespeople and employers place great importance and value on the national Red Seal Program (the Canadian standard of excellence for skilled trades).
  • There is a need to ensure the quality of apprenticeship training, to improve the link between certification exams and training, and for better incentives to encourage employers and sponsors to hire apprentices to completion, including on-the-job training and release for in-school training.

All of the above are matters that the College should be championing on behalf of Ontario’s skilled trades and those interested in apprenticeship and the skilled trades, in partnership with government ministries, employers and educational institutions. Much is said about the mismatch between the supply of, and demand for, labour in this province. The College and its partners have both the opportunity and the responsibility to contribute to closing this gap.

Governance

Many people spoke with me about representation and governance at the College. They said:

  • There is confusion about the application and appointments process for board appointees and a perception that the College governing boards are Toronto-centric and not inclusive of representatives in the trades working in open shops, where workers are not required to join a union. Some asked about the opportunity to elect the members of the College’s Board of Governors. The College of Trades Appointments Council (COTAC) is the agency that makes appointments to the College's governing structure. It is my understanding that COTAC continues to make improvements to its processes. While this is outside my terms of reference, it appears that the government should make an effort to ensure that COTAC continues to improve its communications about the application process and its criteria for assessing applicants. In the future, the government, in consultation with the College, may want to consider whether appointments to the College’s governing structure could evolve to something similar to that of other professional colleges, which normally operate with a mix of governors from the profession and elected by the members, and a smaller number of governors appointed by government. For example, the Ontario College of Nurses footnote 5 uses a combination of election from the membership by the College’s members and the appointment of people who are not members of the College by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.
  • Members of the College suggested that the Board of Governors hold some of its meetings outside the Greater Toronto Area as a way to reach out to its members and stakeholders, and hold meetings on evenings or weekends, outside traditional working hours, to make it easier for people to attend without taking time off work. Some members felt the College should ensure the Annual Members Meeting is accessible to members.
  • The Trade Boards have high capacity, but many continue to seek clarity on their role in setting priorities and assisting the College in furthering outcomes associated with its mandate. In addition, some trades do not have the benefit of representation by a Trade Board, but are instead represented at the Divisional Board level.

The College has informed me that it has made a considerable effort to educate its appointees about the importance of the public interest via workshops, internal training sessions etc., including presentations from Richard Steinecke, who practises law exclusively in the area of professional regulation. As the College Board matures, I would expect it to continue evolving in taking on its responsibility to consider the broader public interest and broader interests of the trades as it does its work.

College communications

I heard from tradespeople, employers and apprentices who would like the College to be more pro-active with its communications. There is a preference to see more information pushed outward to members and stakeholders, as opposed to just publishing it on the College’s website.

Some members said that they do not understand what benefits the College provides to them. Even self-identified supporters of the College indicated that, although they are aware of the theoretical benefits of the College, they struggle to explain to their peers what tangible positive difference the College is making. The College may benefit from clearer communication about the advantages of its mandate and work for its members and prospective members. I have no doubt that College governors and staff are very conscious of this challenge, and that the College’s value proposition to members will improve.

I also heard positive comments about:

  • the College’s popular Earn While You Learn campaign that aims to promote apprenticeship opportunities to youth
  • the College making the most of the communication opportunities already available to it within its existing mandate
  • the potential of the College to promote its role and the importance of apprenticeships and the trades through stronger communications campaigns

Regional concerns

In my travels across the province, people stressed their region’s unique circumstances and challenges. They told me about the challenges of interjurisdictional work in border regions, the vast geographic distances in the North, and each region’s distinctive demographic and economic situations and pressures.

I was particularly impressed by round-table sessions led by the local Chambers of Commerce in Thunder Bay, Sudbury and Oshawa. These sessions brought together parties with different backgrounds to create solutions to a broad range of challenges unique to their region.

The issues and opportunities associated with regional diversity in many cases go back a very long way, far beyond the creation of the College. They will continue to evolve. The College has an opportunity and a responsibility to understand the complexities of regional variation in its decision-making processes and in developing its service offerings.

Footnotes