There’s benefit of public register of skilled trades professionals, poll shows

Ontarians are virtually unanimous in their support of the Ontario College of Trades use of a Public Register of its members so that public can easily verify a skilled tradesperson’s qualifications, according to a poll by Ipsos Reid.

Just over nine in ten (92 per cent) respondents agreed that the College’s Public Register is an important tool that protects consumers, according to the poll commissioned by Ontario College of Trades.

The poll also indicates that most Ontario residents (90 per cent) see being listed on the public register as giving a skilled trades professional a competitive advantage, with just less than nine in ten (86 per cent) saying that they will use the register the next time they hire a tradesperson.

“What this tells us is that people in this province want to feel safe, and that includes being confident that the person performing important electrical work or fixing your brakes is legally certified,” says the College’s CEO, David Tsubouchi.

The College is a self-regulatory body with a mandate to protect the public interest as well as promote careers in the skilled trades industry.

The College’s Public Register allows anyone in Ontario with access to a computer to confirm if someone is a member in good standing with the College. By visiting the College’s website (www.collegeoftrades.ca) and typing in a person’s name or membership number, the Register will inform you of that person’s certification status. There are 22 skilled trades in Ontario that require an individual to have the required training and certification in order to legally do the work.

“For the first time Ontarians have a place to go to find out if a tradesperson is legally certified to do the job,” says Tsubouchi.

Attitudes towards the College’s other  mandates of regulating and promoting the skilled trades , were also heavily favoured by respondents receiving 97 per cent and 96 per cent support respectively.

The poll was conducted in April 2015 by Ipsos among an online sample of 802 Ontarians balanced to reflect the Ontario population. The results are considered accurate to within +/- 4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

The Ontario College of Trades is an industry-driven, professional regulatory body that protects the public by regulating and promoting the skilled trades. One of the main responsibilities of the College is to ensure that individuals performing the skills of compulsory trades have the training and certification required to legally practise this trade in Ontario. The College has over 260,000 active members. There are 22 trades designated as compulsory in Ontario. In order to practice in a compulsory trade, an individual must be one of the following: a licensed journeyperson — a holder of a valid Certificate of Qualification; or a journeyperson candidate; or a registered apprentice with the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities; or a holder of a provisional Certificate of Qualification. There are currently 134 trades designated as voluntary. Certification is offered in some voluntary trades, but is not a requirement to practise in the trade.