Lack of testing facilities holds back skilled trades graduates in northern Ontario

Skilled trades apprentices in northern Ontario face long waits and must travel south for Red Seal exams due to a lack of local testing centres.

While there are hundreds of career opportunities in the trades, some students are finding it difficult to complete their northern Ontario apprenticeships due to exam barriers.

There are currently two locations in northern Ontario where apprentices can take the Red Seal exams locally – one in Thunder Bay and one in Sudbury.

But apprentices in Sudbury said they have to drive to Mississauga to do the test, because the waitlist in the north is months long.

Sudbury MPP Jamie West said there is a clear need for more test locations in northern Ontario.

“We can’t just keep assuming that people are going to come to southern Ontario and people who live in the Far North,” said West.

Dean Luttrell, a regional service manager for Rush Truck Centres, said the difficulty in access testing is a significant barrier.

“I have some apprentices in the shop in Timmins right now that are very discouraged,” Luttrell said.

“They may just leave the trade period … if they cannot get past this, the last portion of their apprenticeship.”

The Red Seal exam is crucial for apprentices to graduate and become certified trades workers. It also allows them to earn full wage as opposed to an apprentice salary.

Gurbag Singh, a Level 3 mechanic apprentice, said he needs to pass the Red Seal exam to become a full mechanic.

“And it’s been really inconvenient because I have to go to down south for it,” Singh said.

Luke Chartrand said he’s in the same boat.

“It’s just more difficult than it needs to be,” Chartrand said.

“I have to go out of town to write my test again and spend even more money than I already have to (and) take time off work for writing my test. It’s just difficult.”

Following our broadcast deadline on Friday, CTV News received a statement from a spokesperson for the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development in response to our inquiries.

“Our government is making record investments to prepare more people for good-paying jobs in construction, manufacturing, and the skilled trades,” said Michel Figueredo, director of communications for David Piccini, the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, in the statement.

“Since 2021, we’ve invested $131 million across Northern Ontario to support training programs that give workers real opportunities.”

Skilled Trades Ontario CEO Candice White provided a statement to CTV News on Monday.

“STO (Skilled Trades Ontario) now offers 13 testing locations across the province, including Sudbury and Thunder Bay, and we are on track to expand to Timmins, North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, and Kenora,” her statement said, in part. “Our target is to have regular exams up and running in all northern locations by December.

Officials with Skilled Trades Ontario went on to say they recognize the importance of apprentices in northern Ontario completing their certification without delay, which is why they say they are expanding their testing.

Meanwhile, West is still calling on the province to make trade pathways more accessible in the north.

“We are northern Ontario in Sudbury, but we’re nothing compared to Thunder Bay, right?” he said.

“Kirkland Lake needs one, South Porcupine needs one, Sault Ste. Marie needs one. We need to be able to have testing centres close to where people live. And that shows a commitment that we really do want people to get in these fields and to fill these really important jobs.”

West also pitched the idea of a mobile testing centre to go to smaller communities where trades are needed.

“We need to think about a mobile testing centre that goes to where those people are,” he said.

In her statement, White addresses West’s suggestion, saying “we’re running monthly ad-hoc sessions and, for the first time ever in the North, delivering exams onsite at training delivery agents during the final week of in-class training.”

“With our government’s action, Ontario now has the highest number of active apprentices in more than a decade,” Figueredo added.

“Registrations are up 9 per cent in the past year, including a 14 per cent increase among women, and more than 21,000 trade certifications were issued.”

In its statement, the ministry invited West to see their investments firsthand and meet workers whose lives are being changed by them.