Construction associations call for return to 2-1 apprenticeship ratio

A drop in the number of Manitoba apprentices has reignited industry debate over best practice construction apprenticeship ratios.

On Tuesday, the Winnipeg Construction Association and the Construction Association of Rural Manitoba jointly called for the province to return to the two-to-one model: two apprentices per journeyperson.

The New Democrat government changed it to one-to-one last year. At the time, it cited workplace safety and a way to attract skilled workers.

Government statistics show new apprentice registrations, including non-construction positions, fell to 2,730 in 2024-25 from 3,128 in 2023-24 — a 398-person difference.

The number of active apprentices declined by 250 workers during the same timeframe, to 11,628 from 11,878.

Still, the provincial government has clocked an increasing number of journeyperson certifications.

In 2024-25, the number hit 1,148 — the most new certifications over the last four years.

It’s up from 1,089 granted in 2023-24 (or a 59-person increase).

Manitoba construction associations lamented fewer apprenticeship posts available.

“It fundamentally changes the way projects can be done,” said Darryl Harrison, Winnipeg Construction Association director of stakeholder engagement.

He worries Manitoba is falling behind fellow provinces in its training. British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan are among the areas employing two-to-one apprenticeship models.

Safety is better linked to the abilities of the journeyperson an apprentice works under rather than the number of apprentices a journeyperson has, Harrison said.

“There’s some major projects … upcoming over the next few years,” said Shawn Wood, Construction Association of Rural Manitoba executive director.

“It’s a little worrisome that our companies aren’t going to have staff to be able to complete those projects.”

The associations cited a 3,000-person construction worker shortage in Manitoba, using BuildForce Canada data.

A slight drop in registered apprentices is a normal year-over-year flux, said Tanya Palson, executive director of Manitoba Building Trades.

Cooks, hairstylists and carpenters experienced the biggest declines in 2024-25, public data show.

Trades seeing the most growth were construction electricians, plumbers and power electricians.

“It’s bit of reach to say — certainly at this point — that any ratio change is causing anything,” Palson said.

Companies who need more apprentices can apply to exceed the one-to-one ratio; Manitoba has granted a majority of recent applications.

Palson said she’s tracking apprenticeship completion rates. “I’m not interested in putting a bunch of kids into a system where they’re basically set up to fail.”

One-to-one apprenticeships allow for better training and, ultimately, safer workplaces and final builds, said Daemien Bernhard, assistant business manager of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2085.

He referenced Michael Skanderberg, a 19-year-old who died in 1999 while replacing a lighting system in a Beausejour school. His employer didn’t supervise him properly and was later fined for negligence.

“It’s not the goal to have cheap labour doing all the work,” Bernhard said.

The debate landed in Manitoba’s legislature on Tuesday.

Josh Guenter, the Progressive Conservatives’ labour critic, highlighted a “clear decline” in apprenticeship participation during question period.

Later, he told a reporter the New Democrat government is “choking growth, economic growth.”

The NDP spoke to Manitoba workers when making the ratio decision and is prioritizing “good jobs,” Business Minister Jamie Moses shot back during question period.

“We want to make sure that those people entering the skilled trades have high quality, one-to-one training to allow them to succeed.”

Moses later noted the record number of journeyperson certifications, saying it “shows we’re on the right track.”

The PCs introduced a two-to-one ratio in 2020.

The Winnipeg Construction Association and Construction Association of Rural Manitoba sent a letter to Moses asking government to reverse course on Tuesday, Harrison said.

— with files from Carol Sanders

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com