Certificate rules being reviewed

TORONTO

The Ontario government will review whether to expand compulsory certification for skilled trades.

“We want to make sure our apprenticeship system continues to meet proper safety standards, provides value to consumers, and serves the needs of our growing economy,” said Chris Bentley, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities.

“That’s why we’re taking a look at compulsory certification,” “Very few trades have been made compulsory over the past several decades. The question is: Should more trades be made compulsory? What are the issues and considerations?”

In Ontario, skilled trade qualifications can be classified as either compulsory or voluntary. Voluntary trade qualifications allow individual employers, workers and consumers to determine the level of training required to do specific work.

Compulsory trade qualifications require that all work in the trade must be performed by a fully certified skilled tradesperson or a registered apprentice.

Of the 140 skilled trades that currently offer apprenticeship training in Ontario, 21 require compulsory certification.

Local 793 of the International Union of Operating Engineers supports the Ontario government’s plan to review whether to expand compulsory certification for more skilled trades in the province.

“Training is the cornerstone of our industry,” says Local 793 business manager Mike Gallagher. “A review such as the one proposed by the province will go a long way towards ensuring that apprentices get the skills they need and consumers get the protection they deserve.”

Gallagher said Local 793 has been asking the province for years to establish more compulsory trades.

In February, the union presented a brief to the province, requesting that training for concrete pump operators be made mandatory in Ontario.

“This announcement is timely in that we have been pushing for compulsory training and certification for concrete pump operators in Ontario,” said Gallagher. “There are just too many accidents occurring in this sector due to operator error. The concrete pumping industry has experienced tremendous growth over the years and the machines are bigger and more complex. We believe that an apprenticeship program for a trade such as this would help.”

The ministry will review the impact of expanding compulsory certification for trades that are currently voluntary, with reference to the following:

• Health and safety;

• The registration of new apprentices;

• The number of apprentices who complete trades training;

• Consumer protection; and

• Economic impact.

A report will be submitted to the Minister within six months of the appointment of the review’s chairperson.

Keep the Unions out. Do all you can to make entry into the pumping industry free and open. Once you have certified operators, you open the industry to extorsion by Unions.

Certified operators end up with egos so large that you cannot pay them what they THINK they are worth.

HEY DIGGER IT WOULD BE NICE TO BUY THEM FOR WHAT THEY ARE WORTH AND SELL THEM FOR WHAT THEY THINK THEY ARE WORTH HA HA!!

Hey!! I resent that! I'm a California born and bred PUMP OPERATOR and I 'm worth what I'm paid and more! I am willing to go the extra mile to do my job right ,even when it means more work for me!I'm surrounded by "stick pushers" and if because of that I come off as a "primadonna" so be it! I haven't survived 33 years in this business by not being willing to learn something new!I try to pass what I've learned on,and if anyone wants to challenge the viability of my "suggestions",bring it on! I'm not going to tell you something works if it doesn't,because that leaves me looking like a fool!Trust me ,I'm no fool!

I agree with that Speedy. I call them "Pump Bitches" " Super Stars" Want to be General Contractors" It is all over the place.

Mudslinger, don't take it to heart. The fact that you have lasted so long only reinforces my point. You do a good job because your boss(es) have been able to discuss "job terms and pay conditions" on an equal footing. He has the job, you have the talent. But believe me, as soon as you have the "Government & Unions" giving licences & certificates ....... you have "Commercial blackmail" THEY have all the documents ....... the pump owner has an open market with the guy with a yard full of pumps down the road and both with monthly payments against a closed labour market supply chasing that restricted labour force.

Why are the USA and Australia the largest expanding pumping markets compared with the UK? Because we have an open market. OK, some "low life" can buy a boom for $100k and cause havoc low balling jobs against a $400k owner, but they soon fade away.

Cranes are screwed because you have a certified dogman with a pair of gym boots and a whistle ..... turns up to the job, sticks a wet finger in the air, "NA, too windy today" jumps in his pickup and goes to the races for the day. 

Keep Governments & unions out.

Yay on the Crane, we work. But agree we need to be carefull.

Digger:I 'm afraid I don't agree!Here is what I see .For the most part,Union pump operators in Ca have to have 3500 hours to be "A" operators,meaning journeymen!Now no smart employer is going to pay apprentice operators "A" wages until he proves his mettle. Let me explain it this way. A "union" journeyman cement finisher in Ca has to have 3500 OTJ hours and 500 classroom hours to earn his journeyman card> That means he has been trained to do ALL phases of concrete work,from reading plans,to setting up forms for a pour,to the various types of finishes,like hard trowel,exposed,calif swirl, broomed, cutting deep joints and all manner of custom concrete! Where I live now(non-union country)I dont think I have met 3 people who could do this kind of work! Because they don't have any kind of a regimented or required training! Here they are concrete FLATTENERS and most of the people I meet cant think for themselves,they have to be told what to think! In Calif. our enviroment forces alot of us to think for ourselves,because we are surrounded by free thinkers and it's those people who get ahead.Now I think I've gone off on a tangent,but truly,until you,ve been in the union and seen just what it is really about,dont knock them. My dad(who taught me to pump concrete) used to say" one of the truest forms of ignorance is contempt prior to investigation"

I don't like the idea that I must pay the state for a piece of paper before I can catch a fish, start a business, drive a car .......... the list goes on and on. I am not much for the concept of collective bargaining either. Once upon a time unions had an up-side; a strong vocational education program. If there are unions out there today that have stayed with this valuable system, well I congratulate them. Other than that........ ICCL. An old union finisher is a craftsman and we need more craftsmen in all areas of the construction industry.

We have union and non union pump companies. In general the union pump ops are great, they just have good benifits. Here we do not see them leave unless they get cowboy companies trying to tell them how to operate their machines. Here anyways they have learned to adapt do the job safe and do a good job. We are non union, and rent these guys on the most part. We also work for them on the non or mixed union non union jobs. Times have changed here, we mix. They have their place in my books. We do have a large East Indian comunity here, they buy machines and train themselves and their causins, hehe scary no control. We do need certification laws. Not to gain business but protect the general customer. 95% of our mud is pumped, 50% by my firm. Concord is big here and sells alot local, they send a trainner with the new machine, one poor sap was 2months before they handed over the machine. Cudos to Concord for being so patient, and safety in mind.