AFL Agrees With Me

I wrote last August; Lack of Planning Created Skills Shortage in Alberta

Now the Alberta Federation of Labour has issued a report that agrees with my hypothesis. AFL seeks free tuitions in high-demand jobs

How efficient is the Alberta apprenticeship system?

The public school system in Alberta views a 25% failure to complete rate a disgrace at the high school level. By contrast, over half (57.3%) of all apprentices in Alberta fail to complete their apprenticeship within the optimum program time. Even after eleven years, the failure to complete rate is over 40%.

The Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry training Board claims that 75% of apprentices complete their training - however, the Board does not include apprentices who fail to complete their first year in their calculations. That is like a high school not counting anyone who fails to finish grade 10 in their overall failure rate.

Do employers fully support the apprenticeship program?

Only 18 % of Canadian employers take on and train young apprentices - although 41 % of all employers had the capacity to do so - according to a recently released joint study by the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum and Skills Canada.

Business and government have it all wrong on labour shortage

Report disputes need for foreign workers

Stricter rules urged over employment of foreign oilsands workers

Chinese workers already here?

Oilsands to rescue

No matter who you’re talking to,” gloomed Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan, “they all seem to say the sky is falling.”

And the heat is on to adopt what he calls “radical solutions” – which is a codeword for massive importation of foreign workers.

Yesterday, the rumours came true when Canadian Natural Resource Development Ltd. vice president Lynn Zeidler confirmed that the contract to build the $30-billion Horizon project’s massive tank farm has been awarded to a Chinese company. Soon 250 guest workers from China will be on site north of Fort McMurray.

“Compared to the 6,000-man job we’re running,” Zeidler said, “it’s not a very big contract.

“These workers, like every other worker on site, will be paid competitive wages and housed in union-approved camps,” she added.

The Chinese government-owned company won the tendered contract fair and square, she insisted.

While Business of course which has failed to meet the needs of the labour market sing the same old song; gimme more tax breaks, deregulate the market.

Alberta Federation of Labour President Gil McGowan says the restaurant industry has benefitted from government intervention in the labour market—intervention designed to keep a lid on wages. “Instead of raising the minimum wage, they increased supply, by making it easier to hire children as young as 12. The laws of the market, it seems, are only allowed to work when they dictate the prices of the goods employers sell. But when they push up labour costs, and increase workers’ share of the Alberta Advantage, the government steps in.” ARE ALBERTA WORKERS BEING LEFT OUT OF THE BOOM?



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