Presented by Ken Georgetti on Monday, 7 June 2010

(Check Against Delivery)

On behalf of the 3.2 million workers who are members of the Canadian Labour Congress, it is my honour to bring both greetings and thanks for the important work you are doing at the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum.

I am particularly pleased to address you not only as President of the CLC but also as someone who worked as an apprentice and eventually as skilled trades’ worker.

As a Red Seal pipe-fitter and gas-fitter at the Cominco smelter in Trail, I learned an enormous amount ....and at an early age I gained a lifelong appreciation for the apprenticeship system.

Of course, like every other apprentice in the history of this trade, I was quickly taught by the senior pipe‑fitters about the two most critical things on the job – that payday is every 2 weeks and that you‑know‑what only flows downhill!

More seriously, taking an apprenticeship was the first and most important step in my personal career – gaining the opportunity for lifelong learning.

But it was far more than that – my apprenticeship gave me life skills – the ability to problem solve, to apply critical thinking to challenges and to manage projects effectively – skills that go much beyond any one job.

And that’s why the role the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum plays is so essential in promoting and advancing apprenticeships across the country.

Your good work is literally helping change the futures of thousands of young workers for the better – giving them new skills and experiences that will benefit them for their entire lives.

What could be more important – or more fulfilling.

CAF also plays an essential role in Canada because it is one of the few national organizations where unions, employers, provincial apprenticeship boards, government representatives, educational institutions, sectoral organizations and others all come together....in common cause.

It’s not just the work that you do – but the fact that you all do it together that makes it so much more important.

The kind of free dialogue that this Forum encourages is a model for more cooperation – based on mutual respect and the recognition of different interests – in other areas for both labour and business.

I’m very pleased that the labour movement has made a significant commitment and contribution to the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum through our participation on the Board.

I particularly want to congratulate the Forum on several outstanding accomplishments in recent years.

The Forum’s highly-praised work about what employers receive for their investment in training literally makes the business case for hiring apprentices.

One of the Forum’s most interesting innovations recently has been to host national dialogues about engaging employers in apprenticeship.

I was particularly pleased that one of these dialogues focused on government as an employer of apprentices.

It is often forgotten that governments are major employers who also need to hire apprentices – governments are not just regulators and service providers.

The CLC and our affiliated unions, who represent workers at all levels of government, hope that government representatives here today will indeed see themselves as important employers.

That means you should not only be concerned about funding apprenticeship programs – but in actually funding and hiring apprentices as employers.

This would certainly take some pressure off private sector businesses who conscientiously hire and train apprentices – only to see them poached by government.

I especially point out to you one workshop session Monday afternoon titled Innovative Approaches to Work Related Learning by Unions.

One example will be the agreement the Canadian Union of Postal Workers negotiated with Canada Post to gain access to apprenticeship places for current employees.

CUPW further negotiated an agreement that 50% of these internal apprentices should be women.

It’s a great piece of work on at least 2 levels - access to apprenticeship and access to apprenticeship for women.

This conference – and the solid work you have done – means the CAF has become the voice for apprenticeships in Canada.

And that voice is loud and clear – well done!

But for all the congratulations I am happy to offer – I must also add a warning.

The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum must find new ways to grapple with an old paradox – we are already challenged to fill vacant skilled trades’ jobs.

Yet tens of thousands of workers can’t find employment.

Matching employer needs to worker skills, is always difficult – it will likely get even more frustrating in the years ahead as our economy recovers.

There is only one solution to this puzzle.

It is not to poach trained workers from other countries.

No, the solution is to invest – invest in apprenticeships, invest in training and most of all – invest in the workforce.

We need to create jobs that are sustainable, that are increasingly environmentally friendly and that are based on utilizing the knowledge of our workers, not on the export of our raw resources.

We’ve already seen the successful results in some parts of our economy.

In British Columbia, the film and television industry barely existed 30 years ago.

Today it is North America’s third largest centre – employing 30,000 people and putting $1.3 billion a year into the BC economy.

The film and television industry was built in part by creating apprentice-able occupations, from grips to dressers to cooks and other key roles.

Even with a low Canadian dollar, the film industry would not have located in British Columbia if skilled and trained crews were not readily available to do work as good as anyone in Hollywood.

And so now BC is known as Hollywood North, with hit TV shows like Smallville and major movies like Juno filmed there.

The film and television business has become a significant force in the BC economy and even in tough times the industry survives and prospers because of its highly-trained workforce.

This is the kind of model for apprenticeships that we must look to for the future – and it requires both the cooperation and investment of business, labour and government to make it happen.

Investing in workers to give them the skills needed to produce high quality goods and services which are in demand in the world.

And it will provide a sustainable future for our country and our children.

The alternative – a race to the bottom with unskilled workers and minimum wage jobs – is not an option.

Some important business leaders already understand this.

To directly quote one: “We're not going to compete with China on the wage level. If we do, God help us. You want to compete in a world of innovation where our education system becomes critical.”

“The only way we can maintain our standard of living in a global environment is to have a more educated workforce and more productive industries.”

Which business leader said this?

The Executive Vice-President of the Pattison Group – Canada’s third largest privately-held business, with $7.1 billion in annual sales and 33,000 employees – a guy named Glen Clark.

He also was once the NDP Premier of BC!

In conclusion, when I speak about apprenticeships here, I know that I am preaching to the converted – and all I can say is – Hallelujah!

The enormously important work of the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum is critical to Canada’s future.

So I wish you well with your work at this conference and in the years ahead – we are all depending on your success.

Thank you and all the best for a successful conference.