The Province of Manitoba is fine tuning its approach to apprenticeship.
After consultation with more than 500 stakeholders, the Manitoba Apprenticeship and Certification Board has completed its 2018-2023 strategic plan. The consultation took place in eight communities across the province and took two months to complete.
“The board chose to develop a five-year strategic plan to provide the board with a longer-term vision of its priorities, as many of the priorities that have been identified will require multiple years to complete,” said Anne James, Manitoba’s director of certification standards and legislation. “It is anticipated that the strategic plan will assist with the modernization of the apprenticeship system in Manitoba and will lead to the engagement of more Manitobans into apprenticeship and certification.”
The four areas of focus, as laid out in the strategic plan, are to be inclusive and engaged, focus on quality and innovation, ensure access and success, and be responsive and accountable.
Engagement, according to the plan, will happen through increasing participation among under-represented groups in the apprenticeship system as well as industry engagement and apprenticeship participation in rural and northern areas.
“This is not necessarily about addressing problems but rather aligning and directing efforts to meet industry needs. For instance, the 2018-2023 Strategic Plan focuses on opportunities to increase apprenticeship and certification rates, in particular for those who are underrepresented in apprenticeship, including underrepresented groups, and Manitobans in rural and northern areas,” James said.
Within construction trades, the intake needs to focus more on diversity, inclusion and completion rates
— Sudhir Sandhu
Manitoba Building Trades
Mechanical Contractors Association of Manitoba (MCAM) executive director Ramona Covey said her organization was encouraged by the plan’s direction.
“We’re pleased to see it’s a well-balanced vision. Our association’s primary concern was industry engagement, and that’s high on the list of the apprentice board’s priorities,” Covey said.
“The plan has four great pillars, and we can see where we fit into all of them.”
Manitoba Building Trades CEO Sudhir Sandhu, whose organization was involved in the board’s stakeholder consultations through both small groups and larger sessions, was also positive about the new strategic plan.
“We think the plan and core objectives are comprehensive, appropriate and reflective of industry needs, so there is no material lack there. Of course, a strategic plan sets a destination and outcomes that Apprenticeship Manitoba hopes to realize,” Sandhu said.
“That will require detailed business plans and resource allocation to achieve the desired outcomes. Moving forward, successful pursuit of the strategy will be driven by how well supporting business plans are executed and the extent to which sufficient financial and human resources are made available to Apprenticeship Manitoba.”
The industry will be accountable through evidence-based decision-making to determine outcomes and by driving updates to Red Seal and provincial trade standards. The access component will be accomplished through promoting youth participation in apprenticeship, increasing apprentice progression and improving certification exam success.
Stakeholders involved in consultation for the strategic plan included apprentices, associations, employers, government officials, journeypersons, technical training providers and union and labour organizations, James said.
Quality and innovation will be reached through “flexible training models, by providing an exceptional client experience and by ensuring a risk-based approach to quality assurance,” the plan stated.
Sandhu said from his point of view, more must be done from within the industry to improve the level of apprenticeships in the province.
“Within construction trades, the intake needs to focus more on diversity, inclusion and completion rates. Developing flexible and diversified training models and delivery options will be instrumental in increasing the number of non-traditional participants and improving completion rates,” he said.
Covey said the election of a new Progressive Conservative government in Manitoba headed by Premier Brian Pallister led to a cultural shift that has been beneficial to the industry.
“The culture of the current government has been one of transformational change, and we’re seeing that across all government departments we work with, from the apprentice board to ministers we deal with ourselves,” she said.
“Part of our own strategic plan is to work more closely with the government. That’s an ongoing agenda, and it’s been very well received by the Manitoba Apprenticeship and Certification Board.”
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