This summer, the CCDA (Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship, which administers Canada's Red Seal program) decided to proceed with piloting new standards development processes, features and formats in two Red Seal trades, one of which is Construction Electrician.
"The standard upon which the Red Seal Program is based has been the National Occupational Analysis [NOA], which defines the activities performed in the trade, and the skills and knowledge required to perform them," explains CCDA, adding NOA is used as the base document for developing the Red Seal examinations and for building apprenticeship training programs in provinces and territories.
"In this spirit of continual improvement, the CCDA has consulted with industry and undertaken research into best practices for standards development"—hence, the decision to pilot new standards development processes, features and formats.
CCDA says it "sees great value in having a standard that continues to be a reliable indicator for competence and excellence in the skilled trades," adding that a strong trade credential must be based on a strong standard. A key objective of improving the process is to allow for greater industry involvement, adds the council, noting that it has been working with the National Electrical Trade Council (NETCO) for the Construction Electrician trade.
