Twenty-two construction electricians have been sanctioned for academic misconduct while attending apprenticeship technical training at the Saskatchewan Polytechnic campus in Moose Jaw.
The Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission (SATCC) and a third-party investigation firm said they determined the individuals in question obtained unauthorized access to material during technical training from 2015 until 2018.
It was alleged they also accessed level exams and Red Seal interprovincial certification exams.
“The individuals are not able to work legally in Saskatchewan as construction electricians during the suspension or cancellation periods,” SATCC said Thursday in a statement.
“People working in compulsory trades must be either registered apprentices working under the supervision of a certified journeyperson or certified journeypersons themselves.”
The SATCC has the ability to suspend or cancel certificates under provincial legislation if it has reasonable grounds to believe they were obtained fraudulently.
“The construction electricians who possessed electrical licenses have had them suspended for the same period of time that their journeyperson certifications are cancelled or suspended,” SATCC officials added.
The SATCC and Saskatchewan Polytechnic said they are working together to ensure academic misconduct doesn’t occur again in the future.
All exam sittings are now videotape, SATCC said, and senior managers audit exam sittings to ensure invigilators are following established procedures and protocols.
The SATCC said it plans to transition from paper exams to online exams with enhanced security mechanisms and is committed to working closely with its training providers to establish stronger practices related to program integrity, exam procedures and protocols.
An external investigator has also been retained by SATCC on contract to investigate any future allegations of academic misconduct.
Saskatchewan Polytechnic said it is conducting an audit of the institution’s current exam practices and will draft a new policy based on the findings.
Faculty and students can share concerns about academic misconduct anonymously on a new internal website, Saskatchewan Polytechnic said in a statement.
The SATCC oversees the apprenticeship and trade certification system in Saskatchewan.
Among its responsibilities, SATCC trains apprentices, certifies apprentices and tradespeople, and regulates the apprenticeship system of training.
Saskatchewan Polytechnic is the SATCC’s primary training provider and is contracted to provide apprenticeship technical training for construction electrician apprentices.