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BCGEU joins B.C. Federation of Labour submission to ITA review

Labour submission provides recommendations on 12 major areas. 

Vancouver (24 Oct. 2013) - In the weeks following the provincial election, the B.C. Liberal government announced a review of the Industrial Training Authority (ITA) mandate, and appointed former head of the B.C. public service, Jessica McDonald, to prepare a report to government with proposed changes.

BCGEU/NUPGE makes recommendations to Industrial Training Authority review

The B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU/NUPGE) has been working with the B.C. Federation of Labour Apprenticeship and Skills Training Working Group on a joint submission, which was presented to the review panel on October 15.

The submission makes a number of recommendations to reform the ITA, including:
• a shared governance model
• increasing number of apprenticeship advisors
• compulsory certification
• mandating apprenticeship ratios
• returning full-scope certifications
• returning ITO to the ITA
• establishing realistic funding formulas
• public apprenticeship procurement policy
• targeted essential skills training
• consultation regarding Foundation skills training
• implement grant/levy system to encourage employer training investment 
• diminish use of challenges as path to certification

As the submission points out, "B.C. labour organizations are primary stakeholders in the trades’ training system. Labour and its employers have a long tradition of partnering to train the province's future generation of workers."

More information:

Download PDF file of the full submission.

NUPGE

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE