The question around the MCAS office the past few days has been Where did September go? It certainly seemed like it flew by and that’s probably because there was much activity here at MCAS. We started the month off by welcoming our Member Services Coordinator Roma Green. She hit the ground running as we ran back-to-back courses in Regina and Saskatoon. She is settling into her new role and will be focusing on developing our 2022 training plan in the coming weeks.
I have often said that a key responsibility that I have as Executive Director is to develop and grow positive working relationships with our industry partners. This was made evident earlier this fall when Merit Contractors Association of Saskatchewan, the Electrical Contractors Association of Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Construction Association and MCAS organized quickly to relay to the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission our concerns regarding a new registration process that they had put in place on September 1 for the compulsory trades.
While supportive of the process of registering new employees, we argued that the $200 fee that would be required on day one was unreasonable. We know too well that there is a high turnover in the trades and often a new employee arrives at work on Monday and is no where to be seen on Tuesday. A meeting and a well written letter resulted in SATCC taking a step back and introducing an amendment to the registration process for all employees when they are initially hired into the compulsory trades. The $200 fee to indenture will not be required at the time of registration but rather it will be required within six months of the registration date for those in compulsory trades. Thank you to SATCC staff for taking the time to listen to our concerns and for making the change.
This type of situation illustrates clearly why associations exist. What would it have cost you as a contractor if you had to pay $200 each time you hired an employee and then ended up not indenturing them? Perhaps if you are not a member you should reconsider. We work not just for our members but for the whole of the mechanical contracting industry.
I am pleased to announce that the MCAS is striking a new committee this month. The Liaison Committee will bring together representatives from MCAS, SATCC, TSASK, Building Standards and Licensing and the design community. The committee will provide a forum for open dialogue to discuss issues impacting the mechanical contracting industry. An email was sent this week to our membership asking the basic question – what should this committee address/discuss? We need to hear from our membership so that we can craft an agenda that will challenge the committee members to find solutions to issues impacting our members and the industry. Send me an email at carolyn@mca-sask.com or give me a call at the office -306-664-2154.
Finally, I want to share that work has started on an MCAS Mentorship Program which I hope we will be able to launch in January of 2022. We have an extensive knowledge base within our membership, and we want to provide a platform for the exchange of ideas and advice. Watch for more details in the December newsletter.