PS News presents reports on recent College activities and a selection of announcements, events and initiatives in the wider education community that may be of interest to our members.
Self-regulation
The Ontario College of Trades is a first in Canada
The Ontario College of Teachers has played a significant consultative role in helping set up many administrative aspects of the College of Trades, the newest regulatory body in Ontario that represents tradespeople such as plumbers, electricians, hairstylists and mechanics.
“Staff at the Ontario College of Teachers have generously contributed their expertise, knowledge and experience in providing welcome advice on various aspects of establishing an entity such as the college, and we are extremely appreciative for that,” says Anthony Brenders, Director of the College of Trades Project Implementation Office.
The provincial government passed legislation last October to establish the Ontario College of Trades, a regulatory college that will modernize the province’s apprenticeship and skilled trades in sectors like construction, industrial/manufacturing, motive power and service.
This new college will give the industry a greater role in recruitment, governance, certification and apprenticeship training. It will also give the skilled trades a professional regulatory body similar to those for teachers, doctors and nurses.
The college is being implemented in phases and will be fully operational in downtown Toronto in 2012.
The government has selected nine industry leaders to comprise the Appointments Council of the new college.
Since January, that council, which is the College of Trades’ transitional board of governors, has been making appointments to the governance structure – including the board of governors, divisional boards and trade boards – and selecting adjudicators for review panels.
The board of governors will have 21 members, including representatives from each of the four divisional boards: construction, motive power, industrial and service. Between 45 and 100 trade boards will also be set up.
Unlike the Ontario College of Teachers, there will be no elected members in any part of the College of Trades’ governance structure.
The Ontario College of Trades is the first regulatory body for the skilled trades in Canada and is expected to grow to over 400,000 members.
For more information, visit www.collegeoftrades.ca.
