This approach seems to be bearing fruit, since the number of individuals trained and the sums invested by the two training funds have grown constantly every year. Footnote 25
The Commission des Partenaires du Marché du Travail (CPMT), established under the Act to foster the development of manpower training in Quebec, is a province-wide consultative body that includes all parties involved in the labour market: employers, unions, the social economy and Emploi-Québec. Unique to Quebec, the CPMT provides an interface between the provincial government and the partners directly affected by changes in employment and the workforce. It advises the Minister, helps define the approaches to be taken by Emploi-Québec, defines the conditions for the application of the Act to foster the development of manpower training and provides a framework for the development of various skill-recognition tools. While the CPMT does not have a mandate to administer Bill 90, its role is not simply advisory, because it suggests approaches and is the body that makes decisions concerning the criteria for the award of contributions from the Fonds national de formation de la main-d'oeuvre (FNFMO). The CPMT also takes part in research in the field through its applied research grants fund of $10 million, which is managed by the government but distributed on the basis of recommendations for relevance made by the CPMT and of academic standards by academic peers.
The CPMT played an important role in renewing the apprenticeship scheme when the Programme d'apprentissage en milieu de travail [Workplace apprenticeship program] (PAMT) was put in place as an alternate pathway for work-related learning and skills recognition. In 2001, the Commission also adopted the Cadre général de développement et de reconnaissance des compétences [Workforce skills development and recognition framework] to better adjust the development and recognition of skills to the realities of different areas of economic activity. Among the framework's strategies, we should note the Programme d'apprentissage en milieu de travail, the development of professional standards and the relevant tools, and the accreditation of professional qualifications. In various ways, the framework involves MESS, the CPMT, Emploi-Québec, the CSMOs, unions and employers. For example, the development of professional standards is the responsibility of the CSMOs, whereas the funding and validation of these standards is the responsibility of the CPMT, while the accreditation of qualifications is the responsibility of the MESS and the CPMT, etc.
The following extract from the major issues webpage of the CPMT indicates some of the directions taken by this organization in the period 2006-2008: