Those who take the accelerated construction training courses, which pay $750 per week, are not required to subsequently work on construction sites.
Like carers benefitting during the pandemic, workers will now benefit from a paid fast-track to ease the labor shortage.
Starting in January, an accelerated four- to six-month course will be offered for five construction trades at a cost of $750 per week. Quebec also offers completion scholarships for new apprentices in programs leading to a professional studies diploma (DEP) in the five target areas. Interested parties had until December 15th To. The Legault government's push to hire between 4,000 and 5,000 workers by the summer was successful, with nearly 47,000 applications for approval submitted.
However, unlike fellows who had to commit to working in a CHSLD for at least a year at the risk of having to repay the fellowship, accelerated construction training graduates have no obligation.
A situation that makes the Provincial Construction Trades Council (International) fear the worst.
“Today, when I have people who are making or working minimum wage who have never thought about the construction industry and who are telling themselves that their wages are going to be increased to $25 an hour for four or five months without obligation, then so be it.” Guarantee me that the investment [de fonds publics] It is worth it? I don’t see that,” emphasizes the general director of the trade union center, Patrick Bérubé.
The Journal also revealed last fall that it is difficult to measure the effectiveness of the Legault government's rapid training programs, which have so far cost the state treasury more than $294 million.
Electricity students “dissented”
DG International also fears that short, paid training courses are displacing other, more comprehensive courses that enable the acquisition of a genuine professional qualification and a sufficiently qualified workforce. While the shortage is glaring, Mr Bérubé claims that electricians who had virtually completed their DEP were “abandoned” to undertake paid fast-track training in other trades.
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“Are we attracting new people or are we just pushing people away for financial reasons?” he asks himself.
The Ministry of Education could not find out on Friday what percentage of people admitted to paid courses of study are already studying a course of study that is currently being developed. Data is also expected on the total number of people selected for fast-track training and the impact of the teacher shortage on course offerings.
No government employees
The office of Labor Minister Jean Boulet makes it clear that the government cannot subject construction workers to the same requirements as unskilled workers because they are not state employees.
“However, the demand for workers in the construction sector is so great that there are partnerships between certain training centers and companies. “It is common for students to be hired or at least approached by a company at the end of the program,” argued its press spokesman Louis-Julien Dufresne.
He adds that “industry stakeholders” have reported that a work requirement would not necessarily meet the aim of short courses and could even be counterproductive.
Note that Quebec plans to allocate $300 million to this construction training push.
Summary of applications for admission to paid accelerated training
Attestation of Professional Studies (AEP) course
Applications for admission submitted
- AEP – carpentry: 16,791
- AEP – driving construction machinery: 17,327
- AEP – Tinsmith: 3431
- AEP – Cooling: 9432
Total: 46,981
Vocational Studies Diploma (DEP) course
Applications for admission submitted
- DEP – Carpentry: 1258 N/A
- DEP – Driving Construction Equipment: 375
- DEP – Tinsmith: 174
- DEP – Cooling: 242
- DEP – Electricity: 1735
- DEP – Plumbing and Heating: 549
Total: 4333
Source: Ministry of Education
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