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http://www.fortmcmurraytoday.com/Local%20News/406683.html& p* D$ ~9 q* J# z6 S6 }0 j
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Prospective workers often fail simple tests
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By CAROL CHRISTIAN, G: }* Q. q; V$ ]5 F" x9 L+ ?
Today staff; C2 i/ x2 t! x
Friday June 13, 2008
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With increasing mistrust of government regulation of electricians' trade qualifications, some in the oilsands are taking matters into their own hands. - X: v2 m3 D0 _+ f8 H+ N
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) has a team of Asian workers, dubbed the “Asian Persuasion,” that now checks references and work histories of Chinese immigrants seeking membership before working in the oilsands.8 T* _5 P( X+ ~* ~1 \( G8 h6 a
And the project manager of at least one electrical contractor now tests prospective employees before hiring.
D7 o! x% R3 x# g) s. z1 oAll this is being done in an effort to weed out some Chinese immigrants who are unqualified, even though they hold Ontario industrial electrician trade tickets or the Alberta equivalent. A growing number of examples questioning the legitimacy of their training, resulted in two stories June 6 in Today. Since that publication, more examples that point to a problem in the industry are coming out.1 A6 \8 k5 N% ?4 T! [# V
The number of people flocking to “the land of milk and honey -- Fort McMurray, Alta.” -- after getting industrial electrician tickets in Ontario has steadily increased over the past few months, said Tim Brower, IBEW business manager./ C7 g6 u3 ^* V$ D" G! h/ Q
“If the government says you're qualified, it's (always been) good enough for us,” he added.
7 X0 u1 E8 B5 \$ {“Now we've found that there's a huge percentage of these people that when they actually get ... on the job, that they're not qualified construction electricians.”
2 l6 [' I$ z: w; M0 E1 r3 C) ]Questions from Today launched an investigation by the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities into two schools in Toronto.' N: j1 B$ ^$ Y5 i
Spokesman Greg Flood told Today this morning the investigation is continuing. The ministry is in touch with officials here in Alberta as part of that probe.' R, [& G. E* c% S i1 i- l
“We're continuing with our investigation, and we have not lifted the suspension on the equivalency documents,” said Donna Babchishin, spokeswoman for Alberta Advanced Education and Technology this morning. “We are continuing to work with Ontario and other jurisdictions.”
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How long the investigation into industrial electrician trade certificates from Ontario as well as other provinces will take, Babchishin was unable to say, citing due diligence.4 _8 t. Q3 D! J# g% V: ^
When a person goes to work after being certified by the government, “you should know one tool from another tool,” said Brower. Other expected skills include the “simplest tasks” such as putting the liner into a hard hat or a piece of steel into a chip saw.5 e' E! p- I G' r
“We found there was a company from Ontario that was actually advertising (in the Chinese media) they would train people to pass their journeyman exam,” said Brower.
' l' O% [8 L) i/ Q2 E3 S3 e3 JThe union soon noticed it was the same school some applicants were putting down as their work experience. ) Y$ i, l+ p) e: Z0 p' O! }
“We connected the dots,” he added. 3 n2 x6 b' m8 @8 ~ G7 J1 L1 ^3 e
Brower, along with other union representatives, met with government officials in January to discuss the issue leading to the suspension of equivalency tickets.
$ _' a* h+ s! ?" y) U9 l pWhile the province sent notices to electrical contractors warning them some employees may not be qualified, “That might stop the flow, but it's not going to fix the problem that there's already hundreds and hundreds of unqualified people working in the province,” said Brower.
4 C3 O: I2 `6 G, nTo further validate qualifications, the Asian Persuasion team checks work histories and references of “anybody who we feel might not be qualified, or who presents us that industrial electricians ticket,” said Brower.
6 ^ c9 H3 G5 O% u1 Z- P) }One applicant didn’t know the voltage in China, yet that person had been qualified, he said. " Q9 s7 o, l' z3 G
“That tells me that there’s definitely some blatant abuse, and there’s some people who have fraudulently gained a qualification,” added Brower, who said he worked hard in the apprenticeship program to earn his ticket. “It hurts me and everybody else in our membership to think that anybody else did something less to get that same ticket.”
1 C, V# y- |: nThe Albian contractor project manager has also found it necessary to test the skills of some Chinese immigrant electricians arriving with Ontario documentation or Alberta equivalents.* u7 A$ \: a& b' i
“If they don’t pass them, we don’t put them to work,” said the manager, instructed by his employer not to disclose either his name or his company’s name on the record. # o: \4 h' f% @; r7 Q; U4 q
He said the majority don’t pass. 5 w, U) E2 b' x
“It’s a dangerous thing that’s happening to the electrical industry not knowing what they’re doing,” he added.
6 j1 @$ Q; w6 \: l L8 bHe recalled asking one applicant: “‘If you’re going to work in a piece of energized equipment, what do you do?’ He didn’t know. (He asked,)’What is energized?’
3 D( ^/ o$ {2 a, o1 U+ D, w“And you’re going to put your life in their hands? I don’t think so.”
4 g" v) b! ^. \* s- z% S6 ~7 q$ P0 aWhen unqualified workers are exposed or turned away, they cry and say “we can learn,” said the manager, noting the workers are supposed to be already trained and qualified. “We’re not a learning facility.”
: a. m! w: J# Z8 C0 W) Z: eThe “most interesting example” proving the lack of qualification the manger offered was when a couple of workers went into his tool crib, took a few tools, laid them out on some paper and traced them. “That way, they could take it back to someone and ask what it was.” |
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