National Adult Literacy Database

Perceptions of Barriers: A consultation report

Authors: Canadian Labour and Business Centre

This report presents the findings of a research study commissioned by the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CFA). The CFA is a multi-partite organization comprised of business, labour, government, educators and other groups that promotes apprenticeship as an effective training and education system and provides a mechanism for key stakeholders to support apprenticeship-delivery systems across Canada. The CAF-FCA has identified accessibility and barriers to apprenticeship as an area of key concern and contracted the Canadian Labour and Business Centre (CLBC) to research this issue.

The objectives of the study were to:

1) Identify and explore the perspectives of individuals, unions, employers, governments and educators concerning the barriers to accessing, maintaining and completing apprenticeships.
2) Determine which barriers are systemic and which may be specific to certain groups.
3) Engage the apprenticeship community in a consultative process to discuss the findings and examine recommendations.

Funders:

Added: 2008-01-31

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• L'accès et la réussite des programmes d'apprentissage au Canada

Building a Case for Pursuing and Completing an Apprenticeship

Authors: Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF)

The goal of this project was to assess the outcomes of apprentices, and compare those outcomes with the outcomes of individuals who did not complete an apprenticeship; graduates of other college programs; and individuals who did not pursue any postsecondary training.

The authors analysed several surveys of provincial college graduates as well as the National Apprenticeship Survey (NAS) and the Labour Force Survey (LFS). Only the four provinces that collected and were able to share relevant data were included: British Columbia, Alberta, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

For the purpose of comparing college outcomes, the authors identified four distinct groups: apprenticeship completers; trades program completers; graduates of selected applied and technical programs; and all college completers, excluding trades programs.

The findings showed that individuals who complete apprenticeships are more likely to be working, both immediately after graduation and several years later; have better earning potential, in both the short and long term; and report higher levels of job security and satisfaction.

This document was prepared by the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF), a national non-for-profit organization that promotes apprenticeship as an effective means of training and education.

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Added: 2011-03-18

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• Évaluation des résultats des programmes d'apprentissage

January 2002

Series: WWestNet's The bottom line

Authors: Western Canada Workplace Essential Skills Training Network (WWestNet)

This issue focuses exclusively on BHP Billiton Diamonds Incorporated’s Ekati Diamond Mine, located in the Barren Lands of the Northwest Territories. It outlines the company’s commitment to building a sustainable Aboriginal and Northern workforce, while dealing simultaneously with the low literacy skills of a significant portion of the pool of available employees.

The company began by developing essential-skills profiles for its entry-level positions, then used this information, along with the Test of Workplace Essential Skills (TOWES), to develop a customized “pre-assessment TOWES” for identifying learning gaps.

The company’s training department took on many initiatives, including computer-based learning; a leadership development program; and the establishment of an apprenticeship program.

The department points to the establishment of its Workplace Learning Program (WLP) as its greatest achievement. The guiding principle of the WLP is safety. A third of the company’s Aboriginal workforce struggles with reading simple documents; teaching these employees to read is vital to keeping them safe. The program promotes flexibility and inclusion to meet the needs of both learners and the workplace.

Added: 2010-04-07

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January 1998

Series: WWestNet's The bottom line

Authors: Western Canada Workplace Essential Skills Training Network (WWestNet)

This issue features an article on the movement by organized labour, particularly in western and northern Canada, to increase its role in providing basic education to working people. The goal is to see literacy become a tool for workers to effect social and economic change.

Other articles deal with efforts by the Alberta government to improve its apprenticeship programs; a Manitoba study of both common and sector-specific issues in emerging economic sectors; and a conference on workplace education hosted by ABC Canada.

Added: 2010-03-10

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Authors: Construction Sector Council (CSC)

The research behind this report establishes a link between Essential Skills upgrading during early apprenticeship training and return on training investment for employers. The report contains three major sections: the impact of offering Essential Skills training for apprentices; the impact on return on training investment; and lessons learned from applying Essential Skills interventions.

The study concluded that there are substantial benefits for apprentices from ES upgrading. ES participants were significantly more likely to pass their apprenticeship exams; achieved higher final grades in technical training than non-participants; and were positive about their experience.

Researchers also looked at whether there was a net economic benefit to investing in ES upgrading.

You can purchase a hard copy of this document on the Construction Sector Council’s website at http://www.csc-ca.org.

Funders:

• OLES

Added: 2012-07-23

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• Analyse de rentabilisation des compétences essentielles dans le secteur de la construction

Final Report

Authors: Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF)

The authors of this report have used both quantitative and qualitative research methods to explore the challenge for apprentices of finding an employer-sponsor.

The authors have analysed statistical trends based on Statistics Canada’s National Apprenticeship Survey (NAS) data collected in 2007. They also held 13 focus groups where more than a hundred apprentices talked about their experiences in finding an individual employer sponsor. The focus groups were held from March to June 2009 and included apprentices from British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia.

Some of the suggestions that emerged from the focus groups included continuing support for career awareness programs and pre-apprenticeship programs; communicating the value of apprenticeship to employers; and creating a list of employers who are interested in hiring apprentices.

This document was prepared by the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF), a national non-for-profit organization that promotes apprenticeship as an effective means of training and education.

Added: 2011-05-31

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• Le défi posé par la recherche d’un employeur parrain

Lessons in Learning – October 22, 2009

Series: Lessons in Learning

Authors: Canadian Council on Learning (CCL)

Work-experience programs take many forms, including job shadowing, cooperative education, virtual work experience, and apprenticeships. At the heart of the efforts put into establishing these programs is the assumption that they offer such benefits as increased engagement in work and learning, improvements in academic achievement and high school graduation rates, and smoother transitions from high school into the labour force or post-secondary studies.

In 2009, the Canadian Council on Learning (CCL), with support from the Ontario Ministry of Education, undertook an examination of these assumptions. The CCL’s researchers reviewed 35 international studies that looked into the effectiveness of high-school work-experience programs.

They found that evidence of the impact of work-experience programs on such measures of academic achievement as grade point average was inconclusive. However, the programs seemed to be associated with higher rates of high school completion, as well as improvements in self-esteem, engagement in the workplace and in school, leadership, and motivation.

The authors of this document point to lessons to be learned from the study, including the need to match students and placements carefully; prepare students in advance; and assign a coordinator to oversee the program.

Added: 2012-02-17

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• Efficacité des programmes d’expérience de travail des écoles secondaires canadiennes

Authors: Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (FCA)

This document is based on a study carried out by the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF) to determine what mechanisms are available to support employers in the hiring and retention of apprentices.

The study involved interviews with provincial and territorial officials at apprenticeship branches and divisions, as well as with participating employers; employers who do not hire apprentices; provincial/territorial sector councils; and employer associations. These findings were supplemented by survey information from the CAF’s Return on Training Investment (ROTI) studies.

The authors note that employers who do not hire apprentices need to be made aware of existing supports. By contrast, employers who hire apprentices are generally satisfied with the supports available and think apprenticeship has great value for their companies.

Both sets of employers provided ideas for other potentially valuable supports, including matching and pre-screening services to create easier access to potential apprentices; background and Essential Skills training for pre-apprentices; ways to recognize prior learning; and trade-specific Essential Skills for the worksite.

Established in 2000, the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum is a federally chartered not-for-profit organization working to influence pan-Canadian apprenticeship strategies and to promote apprenticeship as an effective model for training and education with an overall goal of contributing to the development of a skilled, productive, inclusive and mobile labour force.

Added: 2011-03-22

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• Aides aux employeurs en matière de programmes d'apprentissage au Canada : un survol

Authors: Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF)

This report summarizes information on employers’ hiring practices and attitudes toward apprenticeship, based on surveys completed in February 2011 with employers in the skilled trades from across Canada. The report builds on baseline data obtained by the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF) in 2006.

The survey results show that employer participation remains steady at 19 per cent, with participation higher among employers who have journeypersons.

Other findings include an improvement in the proportion of employers who indicated that they would be likely to hire an apprentice in the next 12 months; an increase in the average number of apprentices per employer; and an increase in the number of employers who believe in the business case for hiring apprentices.

At the same time, the authors point out that many employers remain unfamiliar with apprenticeship training, even though they are in sectors with trades that have apprenticeship programs.

CAF is a national not-for-profit organization, guided by a board of directors who represent all aspects of the apprenticeship community.

Added: 2011-12-06

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• Les employeurs et l'apprentissage au Canada

Authors: Lynda Fownes

This document was prepared as a background paper for a meeting of the Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship in Ottawa in November 2001.

Some jurisdictions use customized tests to help select apprentices, while others rely on grade level achievement. But the authors notes that as many apprentices start their training 10 years after leaving school, prior academic achievement may not be a reliable indicator of success in an apprenticeship.

The author says is critical to define just what Essential Skills are required for an apprentice to do well both in training and on the job. With an appropriate curriculum, a support network might be able to help apprentices prepare for the significant demands of reading, document use, numeracy and other skills they need for success in trades.

Added: 2011-06-23

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