Legislation
Apprenticeship training in the NWT comprises a combination of workplace training and educational class instruction. The Apprenticeship, Trade and Occupations Certification Act establishes ECE as the public authority responsible for apprenticeship matters.
The Act establishes the Apprenticeship, Trade and Occupations Certification Board. The Board's main function is to advise the Minister of Education on matters relating to training and the certification of people in designated trades and occupations. In advising the Minister, the Board draws upon the expertise of local Apprenticeship Advisory Committees appointed by the Department's Supervisor of Apprenticeship, Trade, and Occupations Certification.
The regulations under the Act also provide the government with extensive authority to regulate apprenticeship. These regulations address qualifications for apprenticeship, providing examinations, establishing standards for examinations, and providing for inspection of training. The regulations also provide ECE's Supervisor of Apprenticeship, Trade, and Occupations Certification with the authority to establish the contents of and standards for the in-school portion of apprenticeship training, known as the trade instruction courses and examinations. The Supervisor must approve the location of trade instruction courses, the major pieces of equipment used in the instruction, the instructional materials, and the curriculum. The regulation also directly addresses instructor qualifications.
External and Internal Review
The NWT Apprenticeship Program administers all aspects of apprenticeship training within the territory. Apprentices and tradespersons are registered in the program and monitored while gaining experience on the work site. Apprentices attend technical training to fulfill the requirements for certification. Operational reviews are executed through employer satisfaction surveys and board reports. The NWT Apprenticeship Review Board, made up of industry representatives, and government, conducts accreditation reviews for all the trades training at Aurora College.
An Interprovincial Standards "Red Seal" Program promotes and facilitates the standardization of provincial and territorial apprenticeship training, as well as the regular updating of national trades standards in order to reflect the ongoing technological changes taking place in all trades. The Canadian provinces and territories developed the Red Seal program in cooperation with the federal government (Employment and Social Development Canada) to standardize trade skill requirements and provide greater employment mobility throughout Canada. A provincial Certificate of Qualification bearing the Red Seal endorsement provides evidence of meeting the interprovincial standard for certification and is recognized throughout Canada. For employers, the Red Seal is an assurance of quality training and certification to nationally recognized standards.
Other Organizations Related to Quality Assurance in Colleges and Apprenticeship
Aurora College is a member of the Colleges and Institutes Canada. Colleges and Institutes Canada does not perform formal quality assurance functions with respect to its members, but it does promote quality programming and the use of high academic standards by conducting research and facilitating broad discussion on quality assurance issues.