As Prime Minister François Legault promotes his new rapid training in construction, The newspaper learned that more than $294 million in public funds were funneled into similar programs without any clear indicators to measure their effectiveness.
During the health crisis to reskill workers in 2020, Quebec launched the Recovery Assistance Program through Improved Training (PARAF), which was specifically aimed at helping Quebecers reorient themselves in “priority sectors” such as health and construction. Its cost: $104 million.
A year later, the Program for Requalification and Support in Information and Communication Technologies (PRATIC) was also launched. Its cost: $190 million.
Not an indicator
However, Le Journal learned that until June last year there was no way to know whether people trained under these programs went on to work in their new field or not.
“For PARAF, there was no indicator that showed whether people were working in the field for which they were studying,” Labor Department spokesman Jonathan Gaudreault confirmed to the Journal.
“In order to simplify the monitoring of returns to employment depending on the economic sector and profession, the MESS has established an information collection mechanism since June 2023 to systematically collect this information,” he said. added.
We know that more than 20,598 people have taken the PARAF and 8,325 have taken the PRATIC.
“Like an open bar”
At the Union of Public and Parapublic Services of Quebec (SFPQ), we liken the internal management of these programs to a real “open bar.”
Christian Daigle is President of the SFPQ. Archive photo, Simon Clark
“These programs have exploited other training courses, including those intended for employment for welfare recipients,” denounces the general president of the SFPQ, Christian Daigle.
“It is worrying to see the government not learning from its mistakes and continuing down the same path when it comes to construction training,” he laments.
The company defends itself
In the office of the Minister of Labor, Kateri Champagne Jourdain, we assure that it is important to “measure the effectiveness of the measures taken”.
Swearing-in of the Council of Ministers in the National Assembly of Quebec, Thursday October 20, 2022. Kateri Champagne Jourdain Minister of Employment Minister responsible for the Côte-Nord region. STEVENS LEBLANC/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC/AGENCE QMI) Photo Stevens Leblanc
“The minister requested that the data collection should now make it possible not only to measure the return to employment, but also to determine the proportion of people working in the field of study,” explains her attaché Bénédicte Trottier Lavoie.
“This new data collection has been running since last June and the results will be available in 2024,” she specifies.
In the journal, the company emphasizes that with PARAF, more than 85% of participants were able to find a job after their courses.
Kateri Champagne Jourdain was appointed Minister of Labor in October 2022.
Previously, Jean Boulet was at the head of this ministry.
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