STAFF REPORT

November 16, 1999

To: Works Committee

From: Barry H. Gutteridge, Commissioner, Works and Emergency Services

Subject: The Industrial Mechanic Millwright Apprenticeship Program

Purpose:

The purpose of the report is to identify how employees who wish to be retrained as part of the Industrial Mechanic Millwright Apprenticeship Program can be facilitated and how this can be achieved before the change of legislation.

Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

There are no financial implications resulting from the adoption of this report.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that this report be received for information.

Background:

The Works Best Practices Work Group, a sub-committee of Council, at its meeting of October 25, 1999 requested the Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services to report to the Works Committee at its meeting to be held on Wednesday, December 1, 1999 on the feasibility and cost of implementing Recommendation No. 8 contained in Clause 1 of Report No. 2 of the Works and Utilities Committee, as follows:

"The Works Best Practices Program Work Group be requested to submit a report to Council for its meeting to be held on April 13, 1999, through the Works and Utilities Committee, on how those employees who wish to be retrained can be facilitated and how this can be achieved before the change of legislation."

The Work Group also directed that individuals who were denied an opportunity to particpate in the Industrial Millwright/Mechanic Program based on educational requirements that exceeded those required by legislation, be deemed qualified and be provided with an opportunity to participate in the program as soon as practicable.

The Works Best Practices Work Group, at its meeting of April 12, 1999, received a binder from staff that addressed the process followed in the Water and Wastewater Services Division that dealt with job design and classification, redeployment, staffing, training, mechanical skills training program, industrial mechanic millwright, electrial and instrumentation control technician and safety as they related to the implementation of the Works Best Practices Program initiated in the Works Department of the former Metro Corporation.

At its meeting of June 2, 1999, the Work Group requested staff to contact the colleges regarding the status of academic entrance requirements for the Industrial Millwright Apprenticeship Mechanic Program and subsequently the issues related to the current Apprenticeship Act and the new Bill 55.

Comments:

In the reference binder that was distributed to the attendees at the April meeting of the Works Best Practices Work Group, we identified the existing establishment of Industrial Mechanic Millwrights and the future requirements. We also identified the number of apprentices that would potentially graduate through to the year 2005.

The Apprenticeship Program was started in the former Metro Works in 1995 and is a four year program that allows the employee to attend college one day per week for up to 35 days per year for the first three years. Ninety percent of the apprenticeship program is work related and ten percent of the training curriculum is carried out at the college over the three years. A total of 8,000 hours are part of the apprenticeship program. As identified in the April material, the existing establishment of Mechanic Millwrights is 63 and the projected future establishment in the year 2005 is 112. With an allowance for 10 normal retirements over the next five years, we are looking for 59. Based on the program that has been established, a potential total of 65 will graduate by the year 2005.

Under the apprenticeship program each graduating employee is expected to be placed in a permanent full time position and to practice their trade in the Province of Ontario the successful apprentice must apply to sit and pass an exam for a Certificate of Qualification. As can be seen from the numbers we could potentially be training more staff than there are jobs available depending on the actual success rate and the actual attrition rate. Beyond the year 2005 we would only need staff to enter the apprenticeship program in order to replace employees retiring or leaving our organization. Given the commitment of time and effort required from the employee and the employer we would not wish to put too many people through the program if there are insufficient jobs.

With regards to the individuals who were denied an opportunity under the current program we identified that the original application list comprised 261 staff. From this original list, 45 are no longer employed with the division, 42 did not sit for an assessment of their qualifications, 45 were assessed and needed educational upgrading and a further 32 needed upgrading but declined to participate. Of the remaining 97, 21 graduated in 1998 and 65 will graduate from the program between 1999 and 2005. The seniority list that was used to pick the order for entry into the program still has 7 names left on it and there is the pending list of names for employees that will be enrolled in 2001.

The Work Group identified that individuals who were denied an opportunity to participate based on educational requirements that exceeded those required under the Apprenticeship Act be provided with an opportunity to participate in the program.

Reviewing the original applicant list, we would be required to contact approximately 119 staff on the original list who were either not assessed or were assessed and needed upgrading to determine if they met the requirement for the course and had a minimum of Grade 10. While we could undertake this process we are reluctant to do so given the fact that there is no guarantee of a position at the end of the program.

Regarding the academic qualifications, I have received a response from Durham College that arrived in my office after the last Work Group meeting that addresses the issue of Grade 10, Grade 12 and the new Bill 55. While Bill 55 is not in force at the present time, the college suggests that an employer entering staff into the apprenticeship training program should encourage the minimum level of Grade 12 Math and Communications to allow the employee career opportunities and success.

The next opportunity for staff to enter the college program is September, 2000. There are no opportunities to enter the program once it is underway and even if some students drop out of the program you cannot add others to replace them as they need to attend from day one.

Regarding costs for the programs, the City has set up milling machines, lathes and welding machines to create on-site work shops that has cost $740,000. The on-going annual expenditure for the trainers, tools and textbooks is in the order of $300,000. While the apprenticeship program is provided by the colleges at no cost, the one day leave of absence for each employee at an average of $18.00 per hour for an 8 hour day, 35 days a year equates to $5,040 per employee per year. The City has provided and paid for a skills enhancement program and academic upgrading that runs in excess of $130,000 since September, 1996.

Conclusions:

Based on the original program that was established that will produce Industrial Millwright Mechanic graduates through to the year 2005, we will have all of the qualified staff that we need at the end of this program. To allow additional staff to enter the program at the next opportunity in September, 2000 will provide graduates in excess of our needs as projected to date. In the future we only need sufficient graduates to keep up with the normal attrition rate in this area of expertise which we anticipate to be 10 between now and the year 2005 and we have included this number in the final graduates. Given the fact that we should have a permanent position for an apprentice to move into we are reluctant to train staff based on false expectations.

We are prepared to discuss with the unions how we might contact the 119 on the original list to determine how we can create a new list of potential students for the apprentice program in order to keep pace with normal attrition beyond the year 2005. Given that the earliest opportunity that any new students can be enrolled in this program is September, 2000, we believe that there is time to discuss the establishment of a new apprenticeship pending list with the unions, prior to this date, which would be based on normal attrition rates.

The colleges have indicated that the level of entrance is relatively uniform across the province by colleges delivering apprenticeship or apprenticeship accredited post secondary programs, as contained in the two letters which are attached.

Contact:

Michael A. Price, P.Eng., FICE

General Manager, Water and Wastewater Services

Email: mprice@toronto.ca

Tel: 392-8200 Fax: 392-4540

Michael A. Price, P.Eng., FICE

General Manager, Water and Wastewater Services

Barry H. Gutteridge

Commissioner, Works and Emergency Services

MAP/ji

List of Attachments:

1. Letters from Durham College