Province applauds apprenticeship numbers

Apprentice use at build sites of the Victoria General Hospital emergency room and four new schools has doubled expectations, the Manitoba government reported on Friday.

The construction projects are subject to Manitoba Jobs Agreements, a controversial policy the New Democrats unveiled last year.

Through the contracts, at least 10 per cent of construction hours must be worked by apprentices. So far, apprentices have covered 21 per cent of hours, Public Service Delivery Minister Mintu Sandhu said.

Work on the schools and Winnipeg emergency room — the first Manitoba Jobs Agreement projects — began this year. The overall number of hours worked wasn’t available by end of day Friday.

“These early results are promising,” Sandhu said, adding Manitobans have worked 99 per cent of project hours.

Apprentice hours haven’t been tracked in a widespread way before. Construction sites not bound to Manitoba Jobs Agreement contracts likely have similar apprentice use, said Darryl Harrison, president of the Winnipeg Construction Association.

“I’m encouraged that apprentices are getting a lot of opportunities to work for the Manitoba government,” he said. “However, I wouldn’t confuse apprenticeship hours on a project with success with the Manitoba Jobs Agreement.”

Contractors who’ve inked jobs agreement deals are required to remit and share wage schedules. The Building Trades Bargaining Council, which has representation from 13 unions, oversees compliance.

Administrative burden, cost and “risk on delivery” has caused many firms to avoid bidding on jobs agreement work, Harrison said. The Winnipeg Construction Association represents 755 businesses.

Jobs agreement deals cover provincial government infrastructure projects costing at least $50 million. Upcoming projects include a CancerCare Manitoba facility and the Dauphin Centre for Justice.

New contracts might include a baseline requirement that 15 to 20 per cent of hours are worked by apprentices, said Tanya Palson, executive director of Manitoba Building Trades.

Twenty per cent is “on par” with unionized construction, said Palson, who’s leading the Building Trades Bargaining Council.

“We set (the Manitoba Jobs Agreement contracts) at 10 per cent because it’s the first time we’ve done something like this,” Palson said. “We wanted to be fair to industry.”

As data rolls in, leadership can see if certain trades lag in apprenticeship hours, Palson, who is chair of Apprenticeship Manitoba’s board, said.

She expects apprentice hours to increase at the emergency room and schools as mechanical and electrical work begin. Already, during initial phases, 30 per cent of hours at the ER build have been covered by apprentices, she said.

Business Minister Jamie Moses declared Friday that skilled trades certification has hit a five-year peak: 1,150 people passed in fiscal year 2025-26.

The number of apprentices participating in technical training has grown each year from the 2020-21 fiscal year (3,291 people) to 2024-25 (4,224).

The province clocked 11,628 active apprentices, as of March 31, 2025.

“These are record numbers,” Moses said during a news conference.

The NDP is taking credit for graduates who enrolled in the trades under the Progressive Conservatives’ tenure, said labour critic Josh Guenter. The Tories governed Manitoba from 2016 to 2023.

“What the minister needs to look at is the number of Manitobans who are registering today,” Guenter said. “That number is way down.”

The province counted 2,730 new apprentices between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025, down from 3,128 the year prior. Active apprentices also dropped, from 11,878 in 2023-24.

Guenter and Harrison argued Manitoba’s one-to-one apprenticeship ratio limits potential workers’ access.

“The government should be looking at every policy that affects an employer’s ability to hire and train apprentices,” Harrison said. “We feel Manitoba should move to a two-to-one ratio.”

The New Democrats changed the ratio from two-to-one in 2024. The move drew ire from various construction associations.

Harrison said he expects construction sector demand will be “dramatic” over the next four years with public, residential and defence projects on the rise.

Schools in the Rural Municipality of West St. Paul, Brandon and Winnipeg’s Devonshire Park and Prairie Pointe neighbourhoods are being built through Manitoba Jobs Agreement contracts.

The contracts outline wage, benefit and apprenticeship conditions.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com