Ontario Construction News staff writer
In a report, Factors associated with the completion of apprenticeship training in Canada, Stats Can reviewed apprenticeship registration and completion numbers from across Canada from 2008 to 2016 and found that apprentice uses data from the Education and Labour Market Longitudinal Platform from 2008 to 2016 to examine which factors affect the certification rates of registered apprentices in Canada. This study also examines the impact of employment conditions during on-the-job training (the paid portion of the training) on program completion.
- Among apprentices who had registered in an apprenticeship training since 2008, few completed their program on time.
- At the end of the expected program duration, only 16 per cent of apprentices had obtained their certificate, while 64% were still in their program and 20 per cent had left their program.
- Even after including those who took up to twice as long as the expected program duration to complete their training, the proportion of apprentices who obtained their certificate was just over the third of all apprentices (36 per cent).
- Apprentices who were credited for previous work experience or training were more likely to complete their program: apprentices who benefited from these credits were 13 percentage points more likely to obtain a certificate (44 per cent) than apprentices who did not receive these credits (31 per cent).
- The type of work experience acquired during apprenticeship training was also significant. Apprentices who were working in a field closely related to their trade were more likely to earn their certificate (38 per cent) than those who were not (32 per cent).
- Working conditions during training, such as job-related benefits and wages, also played an important role in apprentices’ success. For example, apprentices who received their certificate had higher employment incomes throughout their training than those who did not complete their program.
“Apprenticeship training is the key pathway toward the expertise needed to become a skilled tradesperson,” the report says. “However, there are growing concerns about the potential lack of skilled tradespeople in the coming years since trades workers are aging at a faster rate than the rest of the workforce.”
“In response to these concerns, the federal government, as well as provincial and territorial apprenticeship training authorities make annual investments to train future tradespeople to help address the labour demands of specific industries.”
Despite the increasing need for skilled tradespeople, data suggest that the overall certification rate has declined over time. Over the past three decades, the number of certificates awarded to apprentices has been growing at a slower rate than the number of new registrations in apprenticeship programs. Indeed, the number of new registrations per year has more than doubled during this period—increasing from 31,368 in 1991 to 77,573 in 2019—while the number of certificates granted has increased by only 47% during the same period (from 35,634 to 52,368).
The report came at a time when the demand for skilled workers in Canada is high and an aging workforce is causing concern about the potential lack of skilled tradespersons in the coming years.
Compounding the problem is the fact that many apprentices who obtain their certificate take longer than the expected length of the program.
Electricians (14%), carpenters (12%), and automotive service workers (11%) are the most popular trades groups among apprentices. In 2019, new registrations in these trade programs accounted for 40% of all new male registrations while they accounted for 15% of new female registrations.
Women are under-represented in trade programs. In 2019, for example, women accounted for only 14% of all new registrations in an apprenticeship program. They are also found in greater numbers in training programs related to sales and service occupations. In 2019, almost half of them were registered in the hairstylists and estheticians (%) or food service (19%) programs.