Twenty-two construction electricians are facing sanctions for academic misconduct.
The sanctions were handed out by the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission and were the result of misconduct during apprenticeship technical training.
The province says the sanctions include suspending and cancelling journeyperson certifications or suspending apprenticeships. An investigation showed the apprentices had access to materials they shouldn’t have during technical training, including level exams and Red Seal certification exams.
The misconduct took place between 2015 and 2018 at the Saskatchewan Polytechnic campus in Moose Jaw.
The electricians facing sanctions won’t be able to work legally in Saskatchewan until the suspensions or cancellations are lifted.
The exams were compromised by two staff members — one from Saskatchewan Polytechnic and one from Saskatchewan Apprenticeship. Both are no longer employed at those organizations.
The apprenticeship employee resigned over a year ago because of unrelated instances of misconduct. The Saskatchewan Polytechnic instructor was fired because of this investigation.
The SATCC says it plans to move from paper to online exams for added security. Saskatchewan Polytechnic is auditing its exam practices, the province says.
The institution has also launched an internal website for faculty and students to anonymously report concerns about academic misconduct.
School officials say they fully supports the sanctions.
"I've been an educator a long time,” Dennis Johnson, provost and vice president of academic of Saskatchewan Polytechnic said. “Students are far better off if they do the work and not look for shortcuts so again we'll continue to try and put supports in place so students can be successful without these shortcuts."
The people who had their certification cancelled will need to pass a new, non-compromised exam after their cancellation period ends. The electricians who were suspended will be able to reapply once their suspension is over.
Here is the list of electricians sanctioned by the SATCC from saskapprenticeship.ca. One of the electricians has told CTV News they plan to appeal sanction.
With files from CTV Regina's Cole Davenport
