|
 Background Information
The Provincial Apprenticeship and Certification Board was
established in 1953 to assist Government in the development of
policy under the provisions of the Apprenticeship Act
"whereby a supply of trained personnel would be always
available to industry and that by an organized programme of
training our people would become responsible educated members of
society."1
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have always been famous for
their ability to work with their hands. At the first meeting of
the Board in July 1953, the Chair - Dr. G. A. Frecker, a
distinguished educator and engineer - stated that historically,
a lack of formal training for specific occupations resulted in
the majority of our Province’s population becoming
"ordinary hewers of wood and drawers of water" when
going abroad to seek work. To cure this deficiency, the
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador had, by 1953,
established the Vocational Training Institute, enacted the
Vocational Education Act and enacted the Apprenticeship Act.
Dr. Frecker noted that through these initiatives, Government
had "laid a basis for sound progress" and that by
"the co-ordination of all parties concerned with the
administration of these Government policies, the time should not
be too far distant when beneficial results should most certainly
begin to appear".2
Mr. G. T. Dwyer, Deputy Minister of Labour in 1953, also
commented that the members of the new Apprenticeship Board
"have been given and have accepted a great responsibility
as well as a wonderful opportunity to perform a public service
which is bound to make itself felt in the years to come".3
The statements of Dr, Frecker and Mr. Dwyer could not have
been more true. Since 1953, the Provincial Apprenticeship and
Certification Board, working closely with industry, training
institutions and Government, has done much to develop and
promote the apprenticeship system in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Among their key accomplishments since 1953:
- Designation of 54 trades for both training (38) and
certification (16), including 42 Interprovincial, or Red
Seal, trades;
- Establishment of Trade Advisory Committees for
designated occupations;
- Development and Approval of 37 Plans of
Apprenticeship Training for the designated trades;
- Development of Records of Progress, or logbooks, for
each Plan of Training;
- Certification of approximately 24,000 journey
persons;
- Accreditation of 63 apprenticeship training programs
in private and public post-secondary training
institutions;
- Review of the Accreditation Act and recommendation of
legislative revisions;
- Promotion of Apprenticeship Training throughout
Newfoundland and Labrador
- Development of the Provincial Apprenticeship and
Certification Board Policy Manual
1 Minutes, First Meeting of the
Apprenticeship Board, July 1953
return
to index
Mandate
The mandate of the Provincial Apprenticeship and
Certification Board (PACB) is very broad and one which covers a
number of apprenticeship training issues. The Board:
-
sets policies to ensure that the Apprenticeship and
Certification Training Act is implemented;
-
accredits institutions to deliver apprenticeship
programs;
-
designates occupations for apprenticeship
training and/or certification;
-
establishes Provincial Advisory Committees for
each designated occupation;
-
establishes examination committees to conduct
practical examinations for apprentices and trade
qualifiers;
-
approves Plans of Training; and
-
provides advice to government on labour market
matters related to training and certification.
return to
index
Specific Duties of the
Board
The Provincial Apprenticeship and Certification Board:
-
determines whether an occupation is appropriate for
certification and designates occupations;
-
develops the form and contents of plans of training and
determines and approves the objectives of every course of
instruction included in plans of training;
-
develops a memorandum of understanding for apprenticeship
for designated occupations;
-
registers all apprentices and trade qualifiers and
monitors their progress leading to journey person
certification;
-
accredits institutions for the purpose of delivering
training in a designated occupation;
-
provides for periodic and final examinations of
apprentices and trade qualifiers and appoints examining
committees to conduct practical examinations;
-
revokes journey person certification in the cases of
fraudulent application; and
-
determines all disputes arising out of a memorandum of
understanding for apprenticeship or a plan of apprenticeship
training.
return to
index
Membership
The following represents the current membership of the Provincial Apprenticeship and Certification Board (appointed April 13, 2006):
Board Chairperson
Mr. Rex Cotter, Carbonear
Director of Apprenticeship
Ms. Denise Hanrahan, Director, Institutional and Industrial Education, St. John's
Employer Representatives
Ms. Rhonda Neary, St. John's
Mr. David Murphy, Conception Bay South
Ms. Melissa Young, Corner Brook
Employee
Representatives
Mr. Gus Doyle, Conception Bay South
Ms. Ann Geehan, Portugal Cove-St. Philips
Mr. George Kean, Labrador City
Representatives at
Large
(Vacant) At Large Representative
Ms. Paula Flood, Whitbourne
Ms. Janette Burry, St. John's
Alternates
Ms. Robin Bartlett, Employer Representative, St. John's
Mr. Richard Kelly, Employee Representative, Glovertown
(Vacant) At Large Representative
Executive Secretary to the Board
Ms. Madonna Nolan
return
to index
|
