LBS and Apprenticeship Training, a Marriage that Could be a Happy one

LBS AND APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING,

a Marriage That Could be a Happy one

Stephanie Hobbs is the Project Facilitator at the Simcoe Muskoka Workforce Board and Literacy Network in Barrie. She answered our candid questions on the apprenticeship trends in Ontario and the LBS providers’ input.

DO YOU FEEL THAT THERE IS MOMENTUM FOR APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING IN RECENT YEARS?

There has been an ongoing shortage of skilled tradespeople in Ontario and in Canada for several years. The report Apprentice Demand: A 2021 Labour Market Information Report: Ontario, released in August 2021 by the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum1 indicates that Ontario will need approximately 88,960 new certified journeypersons over the next decade to keep pace with economic growth and rising retirements, two-thirds of which will be concentrated in the top 15 Red Seal trades. It will be necessary to attract more than 296,350 new apprentices in the Red Seal trades alone. This does not factor in the number of apprentices that will be needed to maintain certification levels in the other trades. At the same time, there has been a decline in the number of youth choosing to enter the skilled trades. As a result, there is a push on to attract and recruit new apprentices. Many trades organisations, training delivery providers, and federal and provincial governments are actively promoting the trades in schools, to parents and to the general public. Governments are also providing incentives to both employers and potential apprentices.

CURRENTLY IN ONTARIO, WHAT ARE THE MAJOR TRENDS OR ISSUES REGARDING APPRENTICESHIP?

The trends:

› Increasing need for digital literacy and digital technology skills in many, if not all, trades. More trades jobs are moving to smaller percentage of time spent using hand tools and greater percentage using digital tech. › Changes resulting from the new framework for skilled trades and apprenticeship, including the establishment of the new Skilled Trades Ontario2 . Some issues:

› Lack of formal preparation for the in-school portions of apprenticeship which leads to many feeling overwhelmed and/or not very successful with the theory and math involved. › Accessibility and inclusion barriers for underrepresented populations – women and individuals from Black,

Indigenous, People of Colour and LGBTQ2S communities.

In construction skilled trades, for example, women make up only 6% of tradespeople in Ontario and figures from 2020 show that Indigenous people account for only 2.7% of the construction workforce. It is crucial that the trades attract more people from these underrepresented communities.

This includes making workplaces and company cultures more welcoming to all. › Reluctance of employers to take on apprentices – perception that other companies will steal them away; issues with the ratio of journeypersons to apprentices.

Both an issue and a trend:

There is a growing need for partnerships and ensuring wraparound supports are available, e.g. from LBS and employment services, colleges, employers, and financial supports – everyone working together to identify apprentices’ needs and provide the support that will lead to them having a successful outcome.

ARE THERE ANY APPRENTICESHIPS AVAILABLE THAT YOU FIND PARTICULARLY INTERESTING AT THIS TIME?

We’re interested in the effects the shift to green technologies will have on some existing apprenticeships, such as changes in what they will need to know and how the training will evolve. The Conference Board of Canada and Future Skills Centre are currently researching these aspects. We are also wondering

1 Canadian Apprenticeship Forum, (August 2021), Apprentice Demand: A 2021 Labour Market Information Report: Ontario: https://literacynetwork.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/CAF_Report_LMI-2021_EN_ Ontario_FINAL1.pdf 2 Skilled Trades Ontario is the new Crown agency replacing the Ontario College of Trades: www.skilledtradesontario.ca

whether there will be any cool new apprenticeships that focus on green technology – maybe for jobs that don’t exist yet.

In addition, there are some relatively new apprenticeships in the service sector. Trades/ activities in this sector include retail, real estate, education, health, social work, communication and many others. What’s interesting about the service sector, as is also the case for the other sectors of apprenticeship, is the opportunity for people to make a living while they are learning.

CAN YOU ALSO TALK A BIT ABOUT THE TYPES OF PRE-APPRENTICESHIPS OFFERED BY LBS PROVIDERS?

Skills upgrading provided by LBS agencies ranges from general upgrading in math, communications, using digital technology, soft skills and study skills, to specific upgrading done in context of a certain trade or group of trades. While LBS sometimes partners with specific pre-apprenticeship programs, apprentices and potential apprentices can connect with an LBS provider at any time to get the upgrading they need for their path.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE LOW COMPLETION RATES?

Much has been said about low completion rates in Ontario and in Canada in general. As cited in the report mentioned above on Apprentice Demand3 released by the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum, the completion rate for total apprenticeships in Ontario averages less than 50% per year. Projected completions over the next 10 years in the top 15 Red Seal trades averages 61%, which will not meet the projected demand for journeypersons.

It must be noted that in Ontario, the total number of registrations that is used for the completion calculation includes all the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) participants who tend not to continue into Level 2 of their apprenticeship. Therefore, the completion rate is likely better that generally reported. However, even 65-70% is unlikely to meet the demand.

Over the years, we have learned that the two main reasons apprentices drop out are:

› A lack of core math, communications, digital literacy and study skills, on which to build higher-level technical skills. › Poor understanding of the technical and “soft” or employability skills they need to succeed in the trades.

These are two areas LBS upgrading can address to help apprentices be more successful.

DO YOU KNOW IF APPRENTICESHIPS ARE OF INTEREST TO NEWCOMERS?

Yes, newcomers are interested, though I have no statistics on how many register. The trades are of interest to those who have similar training in their country of origin and who want to practice their trade in Canada. The passing of the Working for Workers Act, 2021 eliminates the requirement for newcomers to have Canadian experience, which should make it easier for highly skilled internationally-trained immigrants to get access to jobs that match their qualifications and skills, and find work in their field of expertise. I understand from colleagues who work with newcomers that immigrants have varying levels of understanding of apprenticeship, depending on their countries of origin, and the countries they have lived in. Immigrants from countries (for example Germany) with strong apprenticeship pathways usually perform well in apprenticeship challenge exams, particularly because the systems are similar. Others have the same outdated, negative perspectives about the skilled trades that many other Canadians have. Many countries do not have apprenticeship programs, so there is room to help educate newcomers about occupations in these trades, and what that means for credential recognition in Canada. In addition, language acquisition is another obstacle to the credential recognition/challenge process for apprenticeships in Ontario. YMCA chapters have collaborated on an initiative called Ontario Newcomer Trades Action Program (ONTAP) that is designed to inform immigrants about apprenticeships in Ontario, and encourage employers to sign immigrants as their apprentices. ■

3 Canadian Apprenticeship Forum, (August 2021), Apprentice Demand: A 2021 Labour Market Information Report: Ontario: https://literacynetwork.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/CAF_Report_LMI-2021_EN_ Ontario_FINAL1.pdf