President's Message
By John Mayne, OIRCA President

Pre-Apprentice and Safety Orientation For The Roofing Industry
The Canadian Roofing Contractors Association (CRCA) in collaboration with the Construction Sector Council (CSC), Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC), the OIRCA and other industry stakeholders have introduced a Pre-Apprenticeship and Safety Orientation Program for the roofing industry in Canada.

The objective of the program is to prepare new workers for a career in the roofing industry.  New workers will benefit by increased confidence, improved safety and motivation, and encouragement to enter the apprenticeship system.  Employers will benefit from lower turnover, higher productivity and easier recruiting.

The program consists of two parts.  The first part, a classroom orientation, prepares entry level workers with basic safety and construction practices before they begin work on a construction site.  This training is completed in one day.  The second part is on-the-job-training that introduces new workers to the job site and teaches them general safety, familiarity with the tools and materials of the trade, and one of seven roofing systems.  It is delivered by a journeyperson or an experienced roofer acting as a mentor or coach.  It is delivered over a few weeks and is estimated to take approximately 30 hours to complete.  There is no formal examination.  Time worked and training completed are recorded in the workers logbook and signed off by supervisors and/or journeypersons.  The logbook serves as proof of hours worked and training.

After completing the classroom orientation and on-the-job-training, a worker receives a pre-apprenticeship training certificate that is recognized by the industry and apprenticeship programs across the province.

The attractive part about this program is the way it has been designed so that roofing companies may use it to deliver their own in-house orientation training.  I think that everyone would agree that new workers must receive some form of formalized orientation training before setting foot on a construction site.  We believe that this new “industry created” program provides both workers and employers with an effective way to introduce new entrants to a career in the roofing trade.