The Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission (SATCC) announced sanctions against 22 construction electricians for engaging in academic misconduct while attending apprenticeship technical training, the organization said in a press release last week.
After an investigation led by the SATCC and a third-party investigation firm, it was determined the apprentices obtained access to materials they should not have had access to during technical training, including level exams and Red Seal interprovincial certification exams.
Sanctions include the suspension and cancellation of journeyperson certifications for varying lengths of time, and the suspension of apprenticeships for varying lengths of time.
A story on the website of the Saskatoon Star Phoenix said the construction electrician apprenticeship is a four-year term, with Polytechnic providing the technical training, and the SATCC overseeing the apprenticeship contract.
"An anonymous tip to Saskatchewan Polytechnic sparked the investigation, begun 18 months ago. When the school became aware of the scale of the cheating, it contacted the SATCC," the Star Phoenix reported.
"Apprentices obtained the course materials through two staff members, one a SATCC employee and the other a Polytechnic instructor. The SATCC employee had already resigned more than a year ago for unrelated acts of misconduct (involving the acceptance of fees for services he failed to remit, and services he failed to provide), while the Polytechnic instructor was terminated as a result of the investigation."
