The Quebec government is facing criticism for a program that paid students to learn a construction skill — as less than half the graduates are certified to work in the industry.
After it was recently revealed the program fell far short of its target, Parti Quebecois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon on Tuesday accused the government of creating an “all-inclusive, all-paid package” that students can use “to go and renovate (their) cottage or renovate (their) basement.”
Last fall, Quebec Premier Francois Legault announced a new, $300-million fast-track program to train between 4,000 and 5,000 new construction workers, in an attempt to address an ongoing labour shortage. Students are paid $750 a week to attend accelerated training programs lasting four to six months.
But the program doesn’t include a requirement to work in the industry after graduation, and nearly one year later, Quebec’s construction commission reports that just 1,251 of the program’s …