The closure of franchising classes is causing collateral damage in many companies that counted on this course offering good communication with their employees and keeping their employees in the long term.
The managers of the Olymel factory in Ange-Gardien, in Montérégie, say they have “several” workers affected by the discontinuation of licensing courses in Granby. “Some of them were at levels between 3 and 5 and they did 12 hours of French training every week. Our employees are concerned about the resources available for franchising and, therefore, for renewing their work permit,” said company spokeswoman Stéphanie Quintin.
The pig slaughterhouse employs temporary workers, but also refugees and asylum seekers. The francization center for adults at the School Service Center (CSS) of Val-des-Cerfs, in Granby, was well attended. their classes stop on November 8.
Since the end of the summer, CSSs from all over Quebec have reduced or eliminated the offer of franchising courses for adults due to new budget rules imposed by the provincial government.
“A generation that grows up in English”
The company Equinox World, which hires foreign workers for several manufacturing companies, is also concerned about the consequences of the end of these franchising courses. Because a foreign worker will be able to obtain permanent residence, “one of the absolute criteria is learning French,” recalls its director, Anthony Chiasson-Leblanc. Without access to French courses, “we are losing qualified workers,” he emphasizes.
The requirement for a minimum knowledge of French that Quebec plans to impose on temporary workers when they arrive is also worrying the business community. Announced for this fall, the regulation to implement this measure has not been published yet. This last requirement will add to the many problems that already exist, says Mr. Chiasson-Leblanc, who emphasizes that access to French courses was already limited before the CSS cuts.
According to him, “we are creating a generation that will come to English, especially in Montreal. ” “On the other hand, I have companies that, instead of making their employees French, have turned to Spanish. […] Now the leader taking Spanish classes. »
In-company courses cancelled
For the Quebec Employers’ Council, the closure of franchise classes is “worrying and shameful” because “the scope of the needs”. “Québec has established high language standards for newcomers, and it is the government’s responsibility to ensure that resources follow needs,” said Daye Diallo, its vice-president for labor policies. .
The Federation of Quebec Chambers of Commerce also says it has heard from its members on the subject of francization. “Some companies are very worried about what’s to come,” said its vice president of human capital, Alexandre Gagnon. “The injury, in addition to the canceled classes, was over everything [les réductions dans] support for wage subsidies for part-time training,” he said.
This fall, the Quebec government cut allowances for businesses during its layoff financial aid of $28 per day given to part-time students in francization. Wage compensation allowed factories to release their workers so they could take French courses.
“We wanted to encourage registrations, so we provided an allowance, compensation, for part-time work. Then, demand exploded. And, therefore, we think we don’t have to do that anymore,” the Minister of Immigration justified himself then, Jean-François Roberge.
After this decision, several employers “stopped their in-house training to take the time to reassess the business model,” especially in Montreal, explains Mr. Gagnon. And during this time, employees who received $28 in financial aid stopped taking classes, he said.
Certainly, acknowledges Mr. Gagnon, some companies are responsible for francization themselves. “There are some who hire trainers or groups. But here we are talking about employers who can pay more. This is far from the norm. »
Anthony Chiasson-Leblanc noticed the same thing. “There are a lot of entrepreneurs who are now hiring private tutors for their employees, can you imagine! » However, this is not the norm, he specifies: “It really makes employers very motivated. »
Political pressure
At the same time, the matter is still being debated in the National Assembly. Wednesday, the The Quebec Party, Solidarity Quebecteaching unions and school leaders have joined their voices to put pressure on Quebec to back down on francization.
“The government must change course and it is urgent,” said the president of the Federation of Teaching Unions (FSE-CSQ), Richard Bergevin. “It is not too late, but time is running out because the centers are being dismantled at the moment.
Together, the FSE and the Federation of Independent Education say they have identified 326 teachers who lost their contracts due to cuts in the CSS.
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2024-10-31 04:11:00
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