On July 13, I attended and participated in an Ironworker Trade Committee. This meeting was the first group discussion about proposed changes that were originally developed by the Ironworker PAC in 2018 with amendments to the Ironworker Trade Regulation.

With the implementation of the Skilled Trades and Apprenticeship Education Act (STAEA) we no longer have a program specific document that contains the information previously found in the trade regulations, such as Designated Trades Restricted Activities Regulation (DTRA) and Designated Trades Activities and Certification Requirements (DTACR).

The DTRA identified the restricted activities that could only be performed by those authorized to do so (Journeyperson, apprentice, etc) and the DTACR was designed to capture the scope of the profession for the purpose of certification requirements, which in turn drives education requirements.

The most impactful change proposed was the inclusion of the installation of precast components, including tilt up panels, precast slabs, beams, columns, piers, walls, foundations floors etc. We wanted to ensure that the Ironworker trade regulation included activities that were an essential part of the scope of what we do so that we were not restricted to only metal/steel installations.

Going forward, the Committee will work with government to put into legislation the necessary components to define certification and educational needs to support our Ironworkers.