Skilled Trades Ontario kicked off a provincial tour in Greater Sudbury on Monday. The agency wants to hear from employers, apprentices, educators and others involved in skilled trades. Skilled Trades Ontario CEO Candice White said a team is travelling from community to community to provide updates to the program, gather feedback and answer questions. “Getting out, boots on the ground, having those face-to-face conversations with employers and sponsors to hear about what they’re experiencing with the apprenticeship system and what they need from a skilled labour force and what we can do to assist them to get there,” White said. Dubbed ‘STO on the Road,’ the tour launched at College Boreal in Sudbury on Monday. White said 400,000 skilled workers are needed across Ontario to fill gaps in 140 skilled trades. There are currently only 100,000 active apprentices -- learners getting hands-on experience with employers. White said it’s important to support high school and even elementary school students who may be interested in pursuing a career in the trades. Each region has its own challenges when it comes to gaps in the workforce. “We have a strong northern Ontario footprint to ensure that the resources are there to assist apprentices, employers and sponsors on questions around apprenticeships,” she said. “When we’re there and we’re listening and we’re hearing what the constraints are, that is the only way we’re able to implement solutions.” One of the recent changes is having STO regional advisers at each of the 24 college campuses in the province. Exams held each Wednesday The advisers support apprentices, sponsors and employers, including administering qualification exams each apprentice must take before they can be certified in their respective trade. In Sudbury, those exams run every Wednesday. “Between 12 and 14 individuals come every week to write,” said Peter Prochilo, the regional manager for northern Ontario. “Which means they’re able to write their exam where they work, where they live and where they’ve learned, which to me is very important. So, there’s very little travel involved.” “We are seeing a change with the success and just the comfort in writing the exam -- and they’re writing it in a location where they’re familiar,” White added. Currently those exams are paper-based and take as long as four hours. White said Monday that Sudbury will be switching to online exams later this fall. STO has also created toolkits for both apprentices and sponsors that explain both programs and offer guidance. White said the next stop on the STO on the Road tour is Belleville on Sept 21.
