Three months ago, Ontario's provincial government committed $120 million to expand support for apprenticeship programs.

The announcement was part of the Liberals' 2008 budget. It set a goal of having 32,000 apprentices working by 2010. To get there, 6,500 new spaces would be created. Taxpayers would invest about $18,500 to create each of those spaces.

No complaints were heard about the cost, likely because the benefits of creating apprenticeships are well understood and apply to several pressing issues.

Apprenticeships create jobs for young people, a demographic where unemployment is both high and particularly frustrating.

Those jobs pay well and lead to a skill that lasts a lifetime - a career.

They are jobs that don't require a university education. Young people who are intelligent, talented and willing to work but not interested in academics get a chance to make the most of their abilities.

They also create the pool of skilled workers necessary to build the infrastructure for a growing economy. Without those skills Ontario faces a threat of stagnation.

The threat is real. Many Ontario companies are having difficulty finding skilled labour, particularly when high wages fueled by the oil and gas boom in Alberta, Saskatchewan and now Newfoundland are such a lure.

All of which makes it hard to comprehend why Ontario's government refuses to create thousands of apprentice electrician jobs despite the pleas of electrical contractors who are begging for workers.

Representatives of Peterborough area contractors say 55 local businesses could create as many as 165 positions overnight if the province would give them the go-ahead.

Electrical companies from Ottawa to Windsor have been making the same plea. Together they represent thousands of new apprenticeship spaces that could be created at no cost to the taxpayer.

That windfall is being held up by outdated regulations. In Ontario, a contractor can hire only one apprentice for each licensed electrician on its payroll. Prince Edward Island is the only other province sticking to that rule.

In Quebec and Manitoba the ratio is a slightly less restrictive two electricians per apprentice. But in Alberta, Saskatchewan and the rest of the Maritimes it is one to one. And British Columbia has recently gone to a one-to-four system: four apprentices for one electrician.

John Milloy, provincial Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, says it is not as simple as just changing the regulation. He refers to safety issues and the need to guarantee a high level of education by maintaining the three to one ratio. He also says contractors could take advantage by loading up on apprentices, who make less money, and not hiring experienced electricians.

That is the view promoted by electricians' unions and it has dominated the debate for years. Until recently, union representatives outnumbered contractors on an advisory council that recommends apprentice ratios to the province.

Parity in numbers was recently introduced to the council, but now the province says it is looking for consensus on the council. Because the unions still object to changing the ratio, consensus isn't going to happen.

That leaves the province with no choice but to ignore the council and unilaterally set a one to one ratio. Most of the rest of the country has done so without any fall-off in safety or quality of electrical work. In fact, local contractors say a one to one ratio would create a better learning environment for apprentices.

Despite what Milloy says, the contractors are right. With the stroke of a pen he could create thousands of jobs, solve a shortage that keeps them from doing work and harms Ontario's economy.

All it takes is a bit of backbone.