A training program launched by the Legault government to combat labor shortages in the construction sector is generating unexpected excitement across Quebec. However, some condemned the hasty and inadequate action.
At Grand-Fjord's Vocational Training Center (CFP) in Saguenay, success resonates.
The tinsmith program there has been pretty sparse in recent years. Enrollments for Diploma in Professional Studies (DEP) have fallen so much that the last session's course was cancelled.
We have a solid group of students that we want to have
Director Dominic Boily explained. We're constantly getting calls from employers saying, “Listen, do you have workers? We need workers.”
Then in October, the rain of candidates started the day after the announcement of the government. When Quebec wanted to train 4,000 to 5,000 construction workers, about 47,000 applications were submitted for entry.
The CFP Du Grand-Fjord alone received nearly 200 registrations. Out of this number, 22 students have been selected to participate in accelerated training in tinsmithing, namely the Certification of Professional Studies (AEP), while another 22 have joined the training programme. DEP.
We started from 0 to 200 requests […] It was practically a revelation.
The first of them started classes in the week of January 15 and welcomed us into their workshop.
I wanted to change career
Among the new apprentice tinsmiths, many saw this training as an opportunity to reinvent themselves.
I have art in my hands
said Ahmed Ben Othmane, 46, who worked in restaurants for many years. He woke up early not knowing when he would come home. The motivation is no longer there.
Ahmed Ben Othmane dreamed of changing careers, but he didn't have the means until now.
Photo: Radio-Canada
One evening I was browsing social media and I came across a post [au sujet des formations accélérées]
He says. I discussed it with my wife. I said: “I'm interested, I like manual work. Why not take part in changing my life and improving my situation?”
A little further on, Sebastien Lampron was busy cutting metal sheets. Until then, he was a sergeant in the Canadian Armed Forces.
When you start in the Forces, you start ground repair flights. The higher you go in the ranks, the less you make. Then I missed a lot
He explains.
So when I finished my shift, I said to myself: “I have to find something else.” And this structure appeared
He adds.
These students receive a $750 per week stipend from Quebec to pursue training without which many of them would not be here.
Both Marc-Andre Tremblay (centre) and Sébastien Lampron (right) are enjoying a beneficial career transition.
Photo: Radio-Canada
When you have a house and everything that comes with it, dog, cat, kids, car, everything KitTwo years of unpaid training can be difficult
Marc-Andre Tremblay, formerly an audiovisual technician at a high school.
I didn't like that Pantout
He said before bursting into laughter.
A training Denatured
?
Instead of program DEP In about 12 months, these students completeAEP After four to six months.
This is a perversion of the initial training we received in the field of construction
Eric Boisjoly, the general director of FTQ-Construction, a union representing about 90,000 workers. Ours is a government that has taken a decision in the face of labor shortage. […] To address vocational training.
According to him, it is better to focus on work-study alternative.
Quebec decided instead to launch these quick, paid training courses to train personnel in five trades: tinsmith, carpenter-joiner, mechanical excavator operator, heavy equipment operator and refrigeration engineer.
Resolutions from the Quebec Construction Commission The profession of refrigeration engineer is so dangerous, with gas and electricity, that we should not even provide accelerated training in this profession.
Eric begged Boisjoli. The government decided to go ahead anyway.
But several speakers emphasized that factors affecting health and safety at work were not sacrificed. This is the case of Danny Ratte, a teacher at CFP du Grand-Fjord, which developed training in tinsmithing.
Mr. Legault requested to have one AEP For construction of new buildings: hospitals, houses, schools. So we wanted to respond to the need of these workers. We have removed the training part dedicated to reconstruction […] and manufacturing component
He says.
Trained tinsmiths in this area can, for example, install ventilation ducts, metal wall cladding or a metal roof.
They are ready to work safely
Danny Ratte emphasized.
Less time to prepare
While she welcomes success stories such as tinsmithing programs that fail to attract students, Chantale Bucher, director of Quebec's Observatory of Professional Training, is critical. dangerous
in construction.
The crash courses surprised many, she said. It is very fast.
Between the Legault government's announcement and the planned start of classes, most institutions have just two months to prepare. Some still lack the space, teachers or equipment to begin training.
Faster Beneficiary Attendant Program was implemented in the context of pandemic. This is an urgent, public health concern. There is, I understand, a labor shortage, but this shortage will continue for many years to come. It may take a few more months to figure out what we're going to do with it
she said.
Chantale Bucher does not hesitate to describe the operation this way Parachuting
. She worries about the competence of teachers who are recruited at the last minute and especially when students are not required to work on construction sites after completing their training.
We destabilize the environment in a very short period of time for results that do not match the investments.
Director of CFP du Grand-Fjord also agreed to rush the implementation of the tinsmithing program. It happened quickly
Dominic convinced Boily.
Admission process, order of equipment and other things were done in a hurry.
We figured we were lucky
He says when he compares his situation with other vocational training centers.
Dominique Boily, director of the CFP du Grand-Fjord in Saguenay, believes that accelerated training has “put tinsmithing back on the map,” a “little-known profession.”
Photo: Radio-Canada
Objections are interesting, but when the offensive becomes permanent, it becomes a bit problematic
Dominique Boily opined. I think it's interesting because we've seen that it's really attracted people today, it's a little bit disruptive to the normal way, because people say to themselves: “I'm waiting, he's going to release an offensive, there will be scholarships.”
He did not rule out the possibility of other programs of this type emerging.
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