The Canadian manufacturing sector has identified a great need for national levels certifications for their shop floor workers and management in order to validate industry labour quality standards. The Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) and the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) have developed a solution. CertWORK+, is available now as the first national standards and certification program “designed by the manufacturing sector, for the manufacturing sector.” This program is supported by Canadian government funding and the first program of its kind in the country, ensuring high quality standards amongst certified individuals.
Benefits of the CertWORK+ National Manufacturing Certification
Employers who utilize the CertWORK+ certification will be able to effectively evaluate, hire, and advance their workforce based nationally certified skills, assessed based on industry-validated standards. By offering certifications to existing employees, employers are also able to not only ensure their quality standards, but retain and motivate the team, as well as create focused training plans surround CertWORK+.
CertWork+ Employee Levels
Certifications are provided at four different employee levels based on their knowledge, skills, experience, and responsibilities. The four employee levels are:
- Production Workers: Production assemblers, machine operators, and material handlers (1 to 3-month certification process).
- Lead Hands: Newer leaders, such as cell/team leaders, shift managers, and potential managers (3-month certification process).
- Supervisors: Supervisors with a range of skills and expertise, but not the full set needed of manufacturing managers (3 to 6-month certification process).
- Production Managers: Full gamut of knowledge and skills gained through experience and formal education; highest level of certification (six to 12-month certification process).
How to get CertWORK+ Certified
Employees can start their certification process by filling out the self-assessment survey and submit a request for enrolment in the program. The CertWORK+ registrar will review the self-assessment and decide if the candidate is eligible, at which point the accepted candidate will be matched with an assessor and an assessment plan will be developed.
Candidates will then gather the evidence detailed in their assessment plan and submit it to the assessor for review. The assessor will evaluate the evidence against the certification criteria to determine if the candidate qualified for CertWORK+ certification, as which point candidates that meet all certification requirements will be awarded their CertWORK+ certificate by the Registrar.
Get Started: To apply for a CertWORK+ certification, visit the CertWORK+ website and complete the self-assessment.
Do you have other training plans? Minimize Costs with Small Business Grants
Are you also interested in carrying out paid training? Canadian government grants are currently available to businesses interested in developing their workforce through training. Whether you are carrying out internal training programs or having your team participate in third-party training courses, small business funding can cover from 50-66% of eligible training expenses through programs like the Canada Job Grant and FedDev Ontario Training Program. Want to learn more? Attend our free funding webinars on training grants, as well as other funding types. We also post a new article each day on government funding and business resources, so be sure to register for our Weekly Small Business Funding Newsletter to stay up-to-date on all of the latest funding announcements.