February 16, 2011

Ontario College of Trades extends deadline for board applications

VINCE VERSACE

staff writer

The application deadline for board positions at Ontario’s College of Trades has been extended and stakeholders from all trades are encouraged to participate and bring their insights and expertise.

“We just were not receiving the volume of applications we need to try and fill, give or take, about 500 positions. We need more applications for consideration,” said Scott Macivor, special advisor to the college. “Also, some people are not sufficiently aware of the college or sufficiently committed to participate.”

The college’s appointments council has extended the deadline for applications to March 31 from the original mid-February deadline. The applications are for appointments for the institution’s board of governors, divisional boards and trade boards.

“We are looking for people who really know their trade and are committed to making it better for everyone involved,” said Rod Cameron, appointments council chair. “Successful applicants will help guide the future of their specific trade and the college for years to come.”

There are 21 positions available on the board of governors which will administer and manage the affairs of the college. The 21 positions include four members from each of the college’s four trade sectors of construction, industrial, motive power and service. These four members will be divided equally between employers and employees.

The board of governors will also consist of four members from the general public, with no college of trades affiliation and one member from the public college sector.

The college will now strengthen its outreach to the various industries, trades and association with a stake in the college by increasing its online initiatives and media exposure via local newspapers and public services announcements.

“We will also do a huge mail-out to all the associations that we know and provide them with materials they can insert into their newsletters,” added Macivor.

Another change to the application process is that people who currently are on provincial advisory committees and industrial committees will not have to provide three recommendation letters with their application. The letters may be needed “down the road” but are not necessary at the outset for these current committee member applicants.

Macivor added that the college will make sure to continue to deliver apprenticeship services as they currently are being delivered with no disruptions.

“We want to make sure this first governance structure is as right as we can make it,” he said.

The college’s four divisional boards for construction, industrial, motive power and service will provide advice to the board of governors on issues relating to trades within their respective sectors.

There will be five people on each divisional board, two representing employees, two representing employers and a chairman as a board of governors representative.

Under each divisional board are trade boards related to that sector that will advise them of the issues relating to the trade (or trades) they represent.

The trade boards can have between four to 10 members and will require balanced representation between employer and employees. There are 23 construction trade boards, including trades such as brick and stone mason, general carpenter, hazardous materials worker and ironworker.

Print | Comment