2 019 marks three significant anniver- sary celebrations for Saskatchewan’s apprenticeship training and trade certification system. It is the 75th anniversary of apprenticeship training in Saskatchewan – a post- secondary training pathway in which apprentices spend the majority of their time learning on the job under the supervision of journeypersons or other experienced mentors. The Province of Saskatchewan proclaimed legislation to introduce appren- ticeship training and trade certification on August 1, 1944. The government desig- nated 13 skilled trades and supplemented on-the-job work experience with technical training. Saskatchewan now has more than 40 designated trades and sub-trades. 2019: A YEAR TO CELEBRATE APPRENTICESHIP AND THE SKILLED TRADES 2019 will also mark the 60th anniversary of the first Red Seal issued under the Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program. Apprentices who complete their training and pass an Interprovincial Red Seal exam- ination became certified journeypersons with a Red Seal endorsement. The Red Seal endorsement allows qualified tradespersons to practice their trade anywhere in Canada where the trade is designated because industry has a common understanding of the certification that has been achieved. Four trades were originally designated as Red Seal trades: Construction Electrician, Automotive Service Technician, Plumber and Sheet Metal Worker. Today, more than 40 skilled trades make up the Red Seal Program. And finally, the year 2019 is also the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission’s (SATCC) 20th anniversary year. During the late 1980s, the Provincial Apprenticeship Board (PAB), an industry advisory group, became champions for the Saskatchewan apprenticeship and trade certification system under the guidance of the PAB Chair, George Pellerin. The PAB studied the challenges the program faced and recommended that government establish an industry-led board of directors to renew apprenticeship in Saskatchewan. On October 1, 1999, the Government of Saskatchewan proclaimed legislation, The Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Act, 1999, to create the industry-led SATCC. 20 MCAS www.mca-sask.com FEATURE