Young workers in the province will have a better way to learn about their workplace rights and responsibilities through the updated Young Worker Readiness Certificate Course (YWRCC).
The Government of Saskatchewan announced last week that a new, interactive version of the YWRCC is now available online and can be found at www.saskatchewan.ca/ywrcc. This job readiness course, which is mandatory for 14 and 15 year-olds, teaches young workers about their rights and responsibilities that relate to health, safety, and employment standards in the workplace.
“Along with the opportunity to renew the material, the new course is now highly interactive and engages young workers with games, animation and videos,” Labour Relations and Workplace Safety Minister Don Morgan said. “By having a more interactive course, we are ensuring our young workers remember their rights and responsibilities which will help protect them in their future workplaces.”
Some additional changes include providing both a high bandwidth and a low bandwidth version to accommodate all internet users. The new course will take approximately two to three hours to complete. Young workers are now able to create a user account that they can log on and complete the course through as many sittings as necessary. A paper and pencil version is also available for those that may not be able to take the course online.
All 14 and 15 year-olds who want to work in Saskatchewan are required to take the YWRCC and obtain their certificate prior to beginning any work. Once they have completed the YWRCC and want to work, they cannot:
- Work after 10 p.m. the night before a school day;
- Work before classes on a school day; and
- Work more than 16 hours in a school week.
During summer holidays, they are allowed to work the same hours as other employees.
The course was announced to coincide with the government’s proclamation of September 10 as Youth Safety Education Day in Saskatchewan. Youth Safety Education Day was first proclaimed by the province in 2012 to bring awareness and education surrounding workplace injuries to young people in the province.
