Standards and skills development are at the core of CSC’s mandate to identify and address the current and future human resources needs of the Canadian construction industry. The CSC’s work in these areas will help create new opportunities for long-term sustainable employment and continuing job creation.

There are standard and skill development programs currently underway or under development.

Operating Engineers National Occupational Standards
Certification and Accreditation for Home Inspectors and Building Officials
Essential Skills
Carpenters' Standards: Impact Study

Operating Engineers National Occupational Standards

A recent national study concluded that there is very little inter-provincial mobility occurring within the operating engineer occupation. As a result, the CSC has been working with the Canadian Operating Engineers Joint Apprenticeship and Training Council (COEJATC) to develop national occupational standards for operating engineer occupations.

The mobility and accessibility of operating engineers is difficult without inter-provincial agreements on national occupational standards. But operators who demonstrate they possess the skills, knowledge and abilities established by the national occupational standards will have the credentials to work anywhere in Canada.

National Occupational Standards for Operating Engineers

Certification and Accreditation for Home Inspectors and Building Officials

There is a growing demand by consumers, municipalities, provincial government agencies and other stakeholders (banks, real estate industry, and insurance companies) to implement national occupational standards and consistent training of professional home inspectors and building officials. National occupational standards exist for these occupations.

The CSC is working with the Canadian Home Inspectors and Building Officials (CHIBO) to implement these occupational standards. More specifically, existing curriculum and training programs will be analyzed in order to identify any “gaps” with the national occupational standards. Certification and accreditation models will also be established.

News Release: Construction Sector Council aims for more home inspectors, building officials

Download PDF: Building Credibility: The National Certification Program for Home and Property Inspectors

Download PDF: Building Credibility: The National Certification Program for Professional Building Officials

Essential Skills

Essential skills include reading, writing, numeracy, problem-solving, working with others and working with computers. In the fall of 2003, the CSC conducted a construction industry consultation on essential skills. The CSC has developed an essential skills strategy to guide future activities within the construction industry.

Download PDF: Essential Skills Strategy for the Construction Industry

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The impact of carpenters’ standards

Like many trades, carpenters regularly follow jobs from one province or territory to another. But unlike many trades, most carpenters are trained according to the same inter-provincial standards, so they probably have an easier time to get work when they move around.

Given the importance of a highly-skilled workforce and the need for worker mobility, the CSC is undertaking a research project to understand how these standards, introduced about four years ago, have impacted on the cost, delivery and outcome of training, and on the mobility of carpenters. The results of this research will form the basis of a future plan of action.

The federal government granted the funding in May 2004 for the “Carpenter Inter-provincial Common Core Curriculum Standards Impact Study”.

Download PDF: Review of the Implementation of the Inter-Provincial Common Core Curriculum Standard for the Carpenter Trade

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