NETCO’s Human Resource Tools for … · Test-Taking Strategies for Interprovincial Red Seal...

NETCO 2007 National Training

Symposium, Nov. 3, 2007 1

Human Resource Tools for the Electrical Industry

““““Connecting the Electrical IndustryConnecting the Electrical IndustryConnecting the Electrical IndustryConnecting the Electrical Industry””””www.ceca.org/netco

NETCO’s Human Resource Tools for the

Electrical Industry

Carol MacleodPresident, Carol MacLeod & Associates Inc.


NETCO’s Growing Suite of HR Tools

National Occupational Standards Posters

Best Practices for JACs

Test-Taking Strategies for Interprovincial

Red Seal Electrical Exams





NETCO produced 24” x 36”

laminated National Occupational

Standards posters (English and

French) for the three Red Seal

electrical trades.

They are also available as a free

download at

www.ceca.org/netco.












Best Practices for Joint Apprenticeship Committees

This Guide is offered as a tool to assist JACs in self-directing a Best Practices Audit for the purpose of building on your strengths and targeting potential areas for continuous improvement. This tool may be used to stimulate a private, internal review of how your current practices correlate to the best practices endorsed by NETCO.




Best Practices for Joint Apprenticeship Committees

� JAC Governance & Management

� Apprenticeship Administration & Training

� Protocols for Selecting Apprentices

� Journeyperson Skills Training

� Mentoring

� Essential Skills


Best Practices Related to JAC Governance & Management

G-6 Facilitate an annual

discussion of how your JAC’s

governance model may be

fine-tuned.

JAC Governance




Best Practices Related to JAC Governance and Management

M-6 Anticipate and plan to acquire

new equipment and

technology.JAC Management


Best Practices Related to Apprenticeship Administration

Apprenticeship Administration

AA-1 Track JAC-specific data on

pass-fail rates for

apprentices writing

Interprovincial Red Seal

Examinations





63% pass rate; 37% fail rate77% pass rate; 23% fail ratePowerline

Technician

81% pass rate; 19% fail rate58% pass rate; 42% fail rateIndustrial

Electrician

58% pass rate; 42% fail rate68% pass rate; 32% fail rateConstruction

Electrician

Pass Rate/Fail Rate for Trade

Qualifiers

Pass Rate/Fail Rate for

Apprentices

Construction Electrician Red Seal Pass & Fail Rates in 2006



AA-16 Promote common sequencing of

apprenticeship training across jurisdictions

and common core curriculum to remove

some of the barriers to mobility faced by

apprentices.

Apprenticeship Administration




Best Practices Related to Protocols for Selecting Apprentices

• NETCO is zeroing in on promoting the use of a common approach to interviewing apprentice applicants across Canada.

• This is a priority because all JACs conduct interviews and many expressed a need for related guidelines and professional development.

Protocols for Selecting Apprentices


Best Practices Related to Protocols for Selecting Apprentices

Interviewing Apprentice Candidates

SA-4 Use Behaviour-based

interviewing techniques when

interviewing apprentice

candidates. (See

www.mcquaig.com)

SA-5 Provide training to those

conducting interviews with

apprentice applicants

SA-6 Verify that the interview questions

and information requested on

application forms comply with

human rights legislation.




Best Practices Related to Journeyperson Skills Training

“Trades training is a continuum that starts with

apprenticeship training and continues with

ongoing journeyperson training. Learning

should not stop when a apprentice becomes a

journeyperson.”

Journeyperson Skills Training


Best Practices Related to Mentoring

Mentoring

M-1 Provide journeypersons interested in

serving as a Mentor with

opportunities to acquire the skills

needed to facilitate learning among

apprentices.

M-2 Encourage community colleges

delivering electrical apprenticeship

training to build Mentoring skills

among apprentices. This will

assist in creating a culture shift.

M-3 Explore the ways in which your

JAC may build Mentoring skills

among apprentices.




Best Practices Related to Essential Skills

• NETCO recognizes that Essential Skills—particularly Reading Text, Numeracy and Problem Solving—enable success in apprenticeship and ongoing journeyperson skills training.

• Gaps in Essential Skills contribute to failure rates on Interprovincial Red Seal Examinations, apprenticeship drop outs and underutilization of available journeyperson skills training.

Essential Skills



– An Essential Skills Profile was

developed for each of the three Red

Seal electrical trades.

Essential Skills





• NETCO benchmarked National Essential Skills

Standards for Entry into Red Seal Electrical

Apprenticeship

– Reading Text, Level 2 (mid to high)

– Numeracy, Level 3

– Problem Solving, Level 2

Essential Skills



Assessment

• Problem Solving – integrate questions into interviews

• Reading Text & Numeracy – Test of Workplace Essential Skills (TOWES) www.towes.ca

Essential Skills










“Two individuals have equal knowledge of the trade. The one with strong test-

taking skills is likely to outperform the other on Interprovincial Red Seal

Electrical Exams.”

� Strongly agree

� Somewhat agree

� Disagree

What is your opinion? To what extent do you agree or disagree with the

statement below?

Module 1: Introduction & Warm Up





• Instructor’s Guide: Test-

Taking Strategies for


Electrical Exams

• 40 PowerPoint Slides


1. Introduction & Warm Up

2. About Interprovincial Red Seal Exams

3. Mastering Multiple-Choice Questions

4. Tips for Before, During & After the Exam

5. Practice Questions

Modules (1 ½ hours)

Module 1: Introduction & Warm Up

Purpose

To assist apprentices and

journeypersons in achieving a

Red Seal endorsement on their

qualification certificates by

building test-taking skills that

contribute to success on


Electrical Exams.





Module 3: Mastering Multiple-Choice Questions

Test-Taking Strategies for Interprovincial Red Seal Electrical Exams



Structure of Multiple-Choice Questions

Gives the details and poses the problem

• May be posed as a direct question (e.g., What

does IBEW stand for?) or

• an incomplete statement (e.g., IBEW stands

for ).

StemStemStemStem

Possible answers, only one of which is

the correct answer

ResponsesResponsesResponsesResponses




When 3.93 is multiplied by 0.003, the result is

a) 0.001179

b) 0.01179

c) 0.1179

d) 1.179• Only one of the possible answers is the correct

answer.

• The wrong answers are called distracters.

Structure of Multiple-Choice Questions


Stem

Responses• Question posed as an

incomplete statement



Tips on Handling Multiple-Choice Questions

1. Cover the responses before reading the question to anticipate the answer.

2. Snap the question! Read the stem carefully. Try and understand the

question to be answered.

3. Identify key words. Look for words such as never, always, only, best and

worst. These will help you interpret the question and affect your

response.

4. Reframe the question in your own words to better understand it. Be

careful to not change its intent.




5. Don’t immediately jump to what you think is the obvious answer.

6. Narrow the possible responses down by systematically eliminating

those that you think are wrong.

7. Guess if you are not sure. There is no penalty for wrong answers. If

you guess, note the question number on your scrap paper . Go back to

it if time permits.


Tips on Handling Multiple-Choice Questions







NETCO’s Human Resource Tools for … · Test-Taking Strategies for Interprovincial Red Seal...

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