(Quebec) To address the labor shortage currently plaguing the construction industry, the Legault government is setting up accelerated and paid training courses.
This was announced on Monday by Prime Minister François Legault, who was accompanied by Ministers Kateri Champagne Jourdain (Employment), Bernard Drainville (Education) and Jean Boulet (Labour).
Starting next January, quick, paid training will be offered to access five trades: carpenter, excavator operator, heavy equipment operator, tinsmith and refrigeration engineer.
Interested people have until December 15 to register for these training courses, which lead to the attestation of professional studies (AEP) and whose duration will vary from four to six months (500 to 700 hours).
They will receive support of $750 per week.
Furthermore, those who enroll in comparable programs leading to a Professional Studies Diploma (DEP) could obtain a scholarship of $9,000 to $15,000 upon graduation.
As of January, the government will also increase the reception capacity of the DEP Electricity and the DEP Plumbing and Heating, where there are currently waiting lists.
Together, these measures represent an investment of 300 million. The government hopes to recruit 4,000 to 5,000 workers capable of working on construction sites from the summer of 2024.
The personnel needs are acute due to the numerous current and future projects, whether for schools, roads, or even Hydro-Québec works, pleaded the Prime Minister on Monday.
“As we speak, there is a shortage of at least 6,500 workers in construction,” Mr. Legault declared at a press conference in Quebec. We need to give it a big push. »
“It’s a great opportunity for people who are not in construction, but who say to themselves: ‘I might be interested in that.’ […] Well, now is the best time to do it,” he insisted.
The Construction Training Offensive draws heavily on what was done during the COVID-19 pandemic to quickly recruit thousands of beneficiary attendants (PAB).
Satisfied businesses, unhappy unions
On Monday, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) welcomed these “strong measures that will help SMEs in the sector.”
“We highlight this great investment and welcome the speed with which the training will be implemented, with a start planned for January 2024,” reacted its vice-president for Quebec, François Vincent.
“This government offensive is timely and will help relieve SMEs in the construction sector which are slowed down by the labor shortage,” he added.
The Association of Construction and Housing Professionals of Quebec (APCHQ) also applauded the government’s announcement.
Its vice-president of strategic development, public affairs and innovation, Isabelle Demers, talks about measures that will facilitate access to the industry.
The Construction Training Offensive will appeal to those who want to change careers, “but don’t have the luxury of unpaid downtime,” she said in a statement.
In addition, “this initiative highlights the commitment of the Quebec government to promoting the growth of the construction industry,” underlined the Association de la construction du Québec (ACQ).
The big unions see it as a potential health and safety problem. The president of CSD-Construction, Carl Dufour, says the construction industry is already quite “deadly”.
“We would like that to change. We don’t think that by shortening training, we will go in this direction,” he lamented in a telephone interview on Monday.
The Federation of Education Unions (FSE-CSQ) maintains for its part that reduced training will “certainly have a negative effect on the qualification and mastery of student skills”.
“Are we going to do as with the PABs and empty the cohorts of students who would have followed full training to push them towards half-training? » asked its president, Josée Scalabrini.
“The government is unfortunately still seduced by this same short-sighted formula of major reduction in the duration of training, which lowers the quality bar,” she denounced.
According to Minister Boulet, 89% of the workforce on construction sites already accesses the professions targeted by Monday’s announcement without having followed training.
“Better trained workers are beneficial for all of us,” replied the minister.