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Case Study: Commission de la construction du Québec – Essential Skills Initiative1.0 IntroductionIt is estimated that Quebec’s construction sector accounts for 10% of the province’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and provides the economy $26 billion investment. One out of every 20 jobs is in the construction sector. Similar to other provinces, construction in Quebec is characterized mainly by cyclical and seasonal fluctuations, public sector-initiated projects, inter-employer mobility, the easy launching but short life of businesses, the mobility of production closer to where the product is used, lack of product homogeneity, many trades, occupations and employers on a single site, and very short-lived projects. Labour relations typically involve multi-employer negotiations, residential, commercial, institutional, industrial, civil engineering and road system sector negotiations, and union and employer pluralism. These characteristics present challenges for skills development, recognition of qualifications, labour relations management, job security guarantees, and fringe benefit plans. Faced with growing pressure pertaining to the accessibility and regulation of the construction sector, a lack of qualified apprentices, and a lack of training which satisfactorily meets the needs of employers, in 1987 the Government of Quebec formed the Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ). Prior to the creation of the CCQ, no single organization composed of representatives from employers, unions and government in the construction industry existed in Quebec.9 Employer and union representatives as well as members appointed by the government sit on the CCQ’s Board of Directors. It includes five union associations: Conseil provincial du Québec des métiers de la construction (International) (CPQMC), Centrale des syndicats démocratiques (CSD)- Construction, Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN)-Construction, Fédération des travailleurs et des travailleuses du Québec (FTQ)-Construction, le Syndicat québécois de la construction (SQC), and six employer associations: L’Association des entrepreneurs en construction du Québec (AECQ), L’Association de la construction du Québec (ACQ), l’Association des constructeurs de routes et grands travaux du Québec (ACRGTQ), l’Association provinciale des constructeurs d’habitations du Québec (APCHQ), la Corporation des maîtres électriciens du Québec (CMEQ), and la Corporation des maîtres mécaniciens en tuyauterie du Québec (CMMTQ). Contributions from the total payroll of workers and employers in the construction industry provide the CCQ with funding.10 “Over the last years, our strength has come from the agreement between employers and unions on skill acquisition and maintenance: an agreement which led to the creation of a unique and concerted model for manpower development.”11 The initial mandate of the CCQ was to ensure a trained and qualified workforce in the construction sector. This mandate was expanded so that today the CCQ is responsible for implementing the Act respecting labour relations, vocational training, and manpower management in the construction industry (Bill R-20) which provides the legal framework for the construction industry.12 Bill R-20 affects about 20,000 employers and 120,000 employees in Quebec and covers 120 million work hours. As part of its responsibilities, the CCQ oversees the implementation of collective agreements, ensures that human resources hiring and mobility standards are met, monitors the competence of human resources, and implements vocational training measures and programs. It also manages supplementary fringe benefit plans. As a result of the CCQ’s new and expanded mandate, the Comité sur la formation professionnelle dans l’industrie de la construction was formed. The Comité consists exclusively of employer associations and union groups in the construction sector and is responsible for advising the CCQ on all issues which pertain to ensuring a competent and abundant workforce in the construction sector.13 The CCQ’s training and certification of the workforce infrastructure consists of 42 people and 37 trade committees made up of employer and union partners. Some 350 inspectors visit Quebec construction sites to ensure that the four collective agreements are implemented. A Consultation Committee on aboriginal affairs was created within the CCQ and consists of six Aboriginal representatives, six representatives from the CCQ, six employer representatives, and six union representatives. The Committee’s role is to advise the CCQ’s Board of Directors on Aboriginal affairs. Working on the premise of continuous learning, in 1988 Essential Skills training was integrated into the overall technical training of the apprenticeship program. Although it was recognized that apprentices and journeypersons lacked basic skills, prior to 1988, there was no Essential Skills training undertaken. After completing a comprehensive analysis of the construction workforce’s acquisition of Essential Skills, the CCQ began to develop the necessary Essential Skills training for each trade. The CCQ identified 12 Essential Skills, nine of which included those identified by Human Resources and Social Development Canada. The additional three Essential Skills added to the list of nine are: planning, analysis and problem-solving, and client relations. Currently the CCQ is working on offering Essential Skills training integrated with technical training to Aboriginal students and workers. The primary focus of Essential Skills training will be on Reading, Writing, and Working with Others or Working in a Team. This latter skill has been identified as an issue with the Aboriginal population who tend to prefer working with other Aboriginal employees. This is not possible on most construction sites. The same courses developed and used for Essential Skills training will be offered to Aboriginal students with slight modifications to the actual training strategy. Where a class consists of mainly Aboriginal students, Aboriginal instructors will be recruited to deliver the courses. Most of the courses will be delivered in local training centres.
2.0 Description of the Essential Skills InitiativeType It is the CCQ’s responsibility to evaluate applications for the apprenticeship program. Candidates enrolled in apprenticeship technical training are not always assessed for Essential Skills upon submission of their application. In some cases, candidates may already be well into technical training when Essential Skills training is also offered. Not all technical training includes Essential Skills. Typically, the Comité sur la formation professionnelle of the CCQ assesses whether Essential Skills training is required for a particular trade prior to incorporating Essential Skills courses into a technical program. The CCQ and its committee are responsible for coordinating the training which is typically delivered at 52 local training centres across Quebec. Target Audience All potential candidates for the apprenticeship program in 26 construction trades, apprentices enrolled in current apprenticeship training, and employees in the workforce who require upgrade training are eligible for Essential Skills training. Resources Required The industry has over $100 million in funds to support human resources development and re-training in the residential, commercial, institutional, industrial, civil engineering, and road system sectors. The CCQ’s Comité sur la formation professionnelle consists of 26 subcommittees representing every trade and occupation in the construction sector, and nine subcommittees representing every region of Québec. In total, there are up to 400 representatives for all committees. The Trades Committees assess the qualitative aspect of training; the regional subcommittees assess the quantitative aspect for each region, according to need. While the CCQ assesses applications received for apprenticeship training, the Comité sur la formation professionnelle coordinates the type of training required, as well as the integration of Essential Skills training, at the regional and provincial levels. The CCQ is responsible for the development of Essential Skills training courses and for ensuring their integration into the overall technical training of the apprenticeship program. In 1988, the CCQ, together with its labour and employer partners and with the support of the Ministère de l’Éducation, embarked upon an ambitious plan. They created Essential Skills courses for all 26 construction trades at the same time. That is, the CCQ did not develop integrated Essential Skills courses for the trades in a phased approach. The main reason for this was that the CCQ strongly opposed selecting one trade over another. The project took about 10 years to complete all 26 trades. Interestingly, the Essential Skills course development for the Crane Operator took longer than the other trades because of the type and complexity of the equipment used. Staff members of the CCQ who worked on the development and integration of Essential Skills training into the overall technical training possessed a number of diverse skills: expertise in education, curriculum development, and knowledge of the construction trades. The current costs to offer apprenticeship technical and Essential Skills training and retraining in the construction sector across Quebec is $24 million annually. This does not include the salaries and resources required to assess applications and determine the Technical and Essential Skills training required as part of the overall technical program.
3.0 Benefits of the InitiativeAlthough no formal evaluation of the Essential Skills initiative in Quebec’s construction sector has ever been completed, the CCQ believes that the initiative has been very beneficial to the sector because of improved communication between the Commission, its clients, and industry. More clients are communicating with the CCQ via the internet and by computers; a marked difference in comparison with a few years ago. The lack of funds and human resources to complete an assessment are a few reasons for the lack of a formal evaluation. Some of the other benefits noted anecdotally by the CCQ include an improved quality of the products or work completed in the sector. Employees and employers are also more satisfied with their work and there is better verbal and written communication within the sector. Although not formally measured, completion rates of apprenticeship training have increased in comparison with previous years. In addition, the construction sector’s workforce in Quebec is becoming younger than the manufacturing sector’s workforce. The latter traditionally had a younger workforce than the former. This is an indication that younger people are entering and remaining in construction. One area the CCQ would like to research is the impact of the initiative on workplace safety. There is a general perception that Technical and Essential Skills training has an impact on workplace safety. This however, is based on anecdotal evidence, since quantitative evidence is not available.
4.0 Success FactorsCoordination and the involvement of all industry employers and union associations in the development and integration of Essential Skills training into apprenticeship technical training greatly contributed to the success of the initiative. The Ministère de l’Éducation’s collaboration and partnership was another key factor which contributed to the initiative’s success. This partnership continues to provide the CCQ with the support it needs to maintain the programs. The expertise and knowledge of the CCQ team that worked on the development and integration of Essential Skills training into technical training was instrumental in the initiative’s success. One of the key lessons the CCQ learned in developing Essential Skills training was to first spend time ensuring that all stakeholders focused on and agreed to the same goals, objectives, and target. Keeping all parties focused and heading in the same direction was a challenge during the development of the initiative. In retrospect, a phased approach to the development and integration of Essential Skills training would have been more manageable for the CCQ. Tailoring Essential Skills training to each trade and integrating this into the technical training of each construction trade at the same time was an ambitious task from the start.
5.0 ChallengesThe biggest challenge currently facing the CCQ is the need to update the technical and Essential Skills training courses so that the curriculum remains current. This is labour intensive and costly. This is currently being reviewed and considered by the CCQ and its partners. When students, apprentices and journeypersons do not understand the benefits of training and continuous learning, they lack the motivation to take training. This makes the recruitment of students a huge challenge, particularly the more mature students/workers. Offering free training and linking the training directly to a job has helped somewhat to overcome this barrier. The uniqueness of the Aboriginal peoples’ culture and customs creates challenges for the integration of these workers and students into the overall construction sector workforce. Adapting the training somewhat for Aboriginal students will address this barrier.
6.0 Future Directions“…Everything is in place to ensure a culture of continuous training”, highlights André Ménard, CEO of the CCQ, in an interview. Updating the current Essential Skills and technical training courses will be one of the major activities undertaken by the CCQ in the next few years. Incorporating current curriculum into the courses is also essential. Continuing to integrate Essential Skills training into technical training and delivering it to Aboriginal students is another activity that the CCQ will undertake in the next couple of years as attempts are made to employ more Aboriginal workers in the construction trades. Similarly, the CCQ would like to focus its efforts over the next few years on the integration of women and immigrants into the skilled trades. In the future, they will be one source of potential workers for the sector. Continued efforts to reduce the illiteracy rate among new workers in the construction trades will be another focus of future work for the CCQ. In addition, the CCQ plans to provide training to Aboriginal trainers so that they can train potential employees within their communities.
7.0 Program/Project ContactChantal Dubeau, Directrice
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