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Off the Cluff: Who really trains more apprentices - unions or open shops?

One of the NDP's selling points of Community Benefit Agreements was that unions supposedly train more apprentices...but government documents indicate that's not the case.

It’s the complete opposite of what BC’s construction unions claim: Documents obtained from the provincial government’s Industry Training Authority show that open shop companies sponsor four times more apprentices than unions do.

In his day job, regular Orca contributor Jordan Bateman is the VP-Communications for the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association, which sponsors more than 1,100 apprentices directly. He joined Rick in studio to talk about the seismic shift in how apprentices are being recruited, trained, equipped and sponsored.

Rick Cluff is an award-winning journalist who hosted the popular CBC Radio Vancouver morning program “The Early Edition” from 1997 until his retirement in April of 2018.

He has conducted more than 50,000 interviews and asked more than half a million questions, of prime ministers, premiers, presidents and some of the world’s biggest sports and entertainment personalities.