Issues: Apprenticeship & worker supports
our reccomendations
Canada’s Building Trades Unions advocates for the continued support of apprenticeship, training, and supports for workers.
A healthy and viable union construction apprenticeship training system is a proven avenue to restore the Canadian middle class and bring security back to the workplace. The Union Training and Innovation Program has provided considerable support to improve and expand training and support for skilled trades workers. This program has helped us to support the next generation of apprentices and tradespeople to gain the skills they need to succeed in Canada’s changing economy. Canada’s Building Trades Unions strongly supports the continuation of the UTIP Program, as well as improving the program’s operation.
Canada’s Building Trades Union also supports measures to incentivize apprenticeship and apprenticeship completion rates, such as restoring the recently discontinued Apprenticeship Service.
- Restore the Apprenticeship Service grant system, which enabled organizations like Canada's Building Trades Unions to financially support small to medium-size employers in hiring first-year apprentices, with up to $5,000 for each new first-year apprentice, and $10,000 if the apprentice was hired from an equity-seeking group.
- Restoring the recently-ended Apprenticeship Incentive Grant, Apprenticeship Incentive Grant for Women, and the Apprenticeship Completion Grant.
- Alter the UTIP funding structure to accommodate a lower investment requirement from the Training Centres. Often the 50/50 split is restrictive to training centres that are financially limited.
- Reduce the administrative burden for unions who have received funding under UTIP. Standardizing the UTIP reporting system to simplify the process, and allowing entities that have successfully received UTIP funding in the past to reapply through a scaled down application process.
