Professional Development/Skills Training

May 7, 2012

Call made for more apprentices on public projects

The B.C. and Yukon Territory Building and Construction Trades Council is calling for all public-sector project contracts to have a provision in the project labour agreement (PLA) ensuring apprentice training opportunities.

May 2, 2012

Unions decry temp worker rule changes

Union leaders in B.C. and Alberta are upset with changes to the Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) program that reduces the time it takes for employers to hire skilled trades people, but the Merit Contractors Association is applauding the federal initiative.

April 30, 2012

Manitoba boosts rural trades training

The Manitoba government announced its Rural and Northern Apprenticeship Training Strategy, which increases the tax credits available to companies that hire apprentices and journeypersons.

April 25, 2012

Students show off operator skills

Fifteen high school students got to show off their heavy equipment operating skills at a recent demonstration in Mission, B.C.

April 9, 2012

Tuition fees rise in Saskatchewan

The commission responsible for apprenticeship training in Saskatchewan has raised tuition fees, but some believe the increase will be offset by other sources of funding including a new provincial scholarship.

April 2, 2012

Former sawmill could be turned into a training facility

Two private sector firms in the construction and forest industries have formed a partnership to put forward a proposal to establish a trades training centre at a former sawmill site in Prince George.

March 26, 2012

Electricians concerned about non-trade certified work

The Electrical Contractors Association of B.C. (ECABC) are expressing concern about non-trade certified electricians being permitted to perform maintenance and repair work on specific electrical systems.

March 5, 2012

Apprenticeship system comment provokes response

Tom Sigurdson's comment that B.C's training and apprenticeship system is broken is at odds with the facts (Apprenticeship tax credit extension draws mixed reviews, Feb. 27, Journal of Commerce).

February 27, 2012

Apprenticeship tax credit extension draws mixed reviews

The extension of apprenticeship training tax credits in the 2012 B.C. Budget is being applauded by a representative of the Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC), while the leader of the provincial building trades council is not impressed.

February 22, 2012

Apprenticeships important as labour shortage looms

Western Canada is facing a looming labour shortage, according to the chair of the Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training Board.

July 14, 2008

Youth strut their stuff at 14th Canadian Skills Competition

Canadian students and apprentices competed in Canada’s largest national trade competition in Calgary for a chance to qualify for the 2009 WorldSkills Competition.

July 14, 2008

Construction employment awaits many CORE graduates

Tradeworks Training Society offers a number of construction-related training programs, but one in particular aims to get disadvantaged inner city residents onto the Vancouver Olympic Athletes Village worksite in about eight weeks.

July 14, 2008

University of the Fraser Valley combines trades training with academics

In the world of construction-industry professional development, there is a facility in the Fraser Valley that is definitely marching to its own drummer.

July 14, 2008

Concerns voiced over plans to make ironworkers trade more specialized

The British Columbia Industry Training Authority (BCITA) is in the process of updating the ironworkers trade certification by making the designation more specialized, but some people in the industry believe the changes will harm the trade.