Education and Training Options

Trades/Apprenticeships

An entry into the labour market that is often overlooked by many students is apprenticeship to the trades. It is a system of training, incorporating on-the-job learning with short periods of formal or in-school learning, leading to certification or licensing in the trades. Formal exams are required at several levels throughout the training process.

In general, trades across Canada are regulated by the apprenticeship branch of each provincial government. About 290 trades are covered, but each province or territory has its own designated trades that are provincially/territorially regulated. The number of trades on the designated list is different in each province or territory. The Ellis Chart, Comparative Chart of Apprenticeship Training Programs, from the Occupation and Career Information Branch of HRDC contains a list of designated trades for each province. In each regulated trade, an apprentice may earn a certificate of qualification to become a fully qualified journeyperson.

Each province and territory has classified its designated trades as either voluntary or compulsory. Voluntary means a person can train and work in the field without certification, or can choose to write the exam and get a certificate. Compulsory means that it is against the law to work in the trade without proper certification. In the case of the compulsory trades, since certification is a legal prerequisite to working in the trade, it is also a licensing process. See Appendix H for the Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship (CCDA) Provincial and Territorial Offices.

The classification of trades varies by province and territory. For example, an automotive service technician (transmission) requires certification in New Brunswick and Ontario, while it is voluntary in Prince Edward Island. In hairstyling, certification is compulsory in Prince Edward Island, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, and is voluntary in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, the Northwest Territories and Yukon.

Even though certification in a trade may not be compulsory, the industry can create a standard requiring certification for employment through unions or employer preferences. Therefore, although apprentices may not be required by law to write the exams, they may not find employment until they are certified. It is important to investigate this through the trade councils, apprenticeship branches and unions.

Considering a Trade? Points to Investigate A would-be apprentice should find out if the trade: has a council actively involved in the business - labour - government partnership so it can lobby for issues important to that trade; actively encourages women to enter the trade and has a support system for them; is concerned with continuous upgrading and quality training; has ongoing liaisons with the educational institutions that do the in-school teaching to ensure that content is current; and has or is lobbying for national standards which will ensure quality in the trade and allow for worker mobility.

General entry into an apprenticeship program is based on the completion of a provincially set grade level and employment in the trade. Community colleges in nine provinces provide the in-school portion of training for apprenticeship, while Quebec provides its training through the secondary school system. Some community colleges also provide pre-program preparation for a trade which can give the student enough knowledge and experience to encourage an employer to take her/him on as an apprentice.

Some industries believe entry level standards should also include clearly demonstrated skill and ability in the areas outlined in national standards to decrease attrition in apprenticeship programs. The Canadian Automotive Repair and Service Council has developed a draft proposal for national entry level standards. Other trades may follow if the results are positive in providing more qualified entrants into the trade.

Some trades are non-regulated. Depending on the province or territory, these generally include such trades as:

• cladding;
• dental mechanic;
• dental technician;
• jewellery manufacture and repair;
• office machine repair;
• small engine repair; and
• watch repair.

These are employer-sponsored trades in which the employer has developed an in-house training program, possibly in consultation with the provincial apprenticeship branch, but there is no curriculum set by regulation and no exam. The program is suited to the needs of the workplace, and the apprentice in these programs may not be recognized outside the company providing the training. Workers need to be aware of the restrictions that go with non-regulated training. This is a situation in which practitioners may be called on to help plan methods of getting extra skills training and, possibly, to recommend PLAR for skills recognition and broad certification.

The Interprovincial Standards Program

The apprenticeship system developed separately in each province or territory. This has resulted in different systems of training and certification and even different classifications (designations) of what is a trade. In order to provide greater mobility across Canada for skilled workers, interprovincial standards and exams have been developed for some trades. They are called Red Seal trades. An Interprovincial Standards Red Seal can be obtained through the following routes:

• by graduating from a recognized provincial or territorial apprenticeship training program or by obtaining a journeyperson-level certificate from a province or territory; and
• by passing the Interprovincial Standards examination for that trade.

The Red Seal is affixed to the provincial/territorial certificate of qualification or apprenticeship. Its holder is qualified to work in any jurisdiction in Canada that has the trade designated for Red Seal. Table 17 shows the 44 Red Seal trades.

In an economy where there is a shortage of skilled workers, it is not surprising that several sector councils in the trades industries (e.g., tourism, broadcasting, aviation maintenance and automotive repair and service) have developed Canada-wide and, in some cases, North America-wide certification to help maintain the quality they believe is essential to a successful, competitive industry.

The continual application of new technologies in the trades is particularly significant in creating a need for ongoing skill development. From a report written in 1996, the Canadian Plastics Industry is quoted as saying:

The rapid adoption of computer-based technologies will have a profound effect on the skills required of set-up workers, production technicians and maintenance trades (p. 10).

Table 17: Red Seal Trades

Attitudes, Perceptions Toward Apprenticeship

The choice of apprenticeship does not start out on equal footing with other education and training options. To be a viable option, attitudes have to be open enough to allow objective consideration. According to several studies, young peoples' attitudes toward, and perceptions of, apprenticeship have been biased. However, attitudes are changing. The advancement of technology has increased the demand for higher levels of technical knowledge and skills in the trades (e.g., computerized diagnostics, new materials and the use of CAD for design), and the public is aware of this through media exposure. An article in the Maclean's Guide to Canadian Colleges points out: "The mood has been changing since at least 1993, when Environics Research Group Ltd. began asking whether people would direct a high school graduate to a trade school or university, and subsequent polls showed a widening gap in favour of the former" (Sheppard, 1999).

Both workers and employers in industry are recognizing the value of apprenticeship training. Several sector council human resource reports confirmed a bias of employers for training in the workplace. The 1996 Plastics Industry report reveals that 47% of production workers and a third of thermoplastic employers expressed an interest in an apprenticeship training system for production workers. "The attributes of apprenticeship that are seen as positive are: combination of work and learning; integration of on-site, practical learning with college instruction; occupational standards; and recognition of qualifications" (Canadian Plastics Industry, 1996, p. 47).

A number of efforts have been made in recent years to attract more people to the skilled trades. Apprentices and journeypersons have identified four factors which would increase their numbers:

• promotion of trades in high school;
• stronger employer support;
• improved image; and
• increased apprentice income.

Various initiatives are under way across Canada, to address these factors. Industry strategy for promoting the trades as an attractive choice of occupation is to portray the variety and challenge of a career in the trades. Individual trades are producing videos and posters for schools. Government is supporting women's access projects. Women in Trades and Technology (WITT), a national non-profit advocacy group, is active in the encouragement, training and promotion of women in trades and technologies. In the textbox Career Paths in Trades, two case studies illustrate the career path possibilities for apprentices willing to upgrade and retrain.

In advising potential trade apprentices, practitioners may recommend that they contact the trade council, apprenticeship branch or union. WITT can provide information, speakers and mentors for women considering trades.

Abby and Steve: Career Paths in Trades

Abby's Road to Success in the Automotive Industry

On completing an apprenticeship program and attaining journeyperson papers as an automotive technician, Abby went to work for a small repair shop where she then became a service foreperson. From there she moved to the position of chief mechanic at a large car manufacturer. She is now taking upgrading courses in the hopes of becoming one of the company trainers of other mechanics.

Steven: Plans for a Career in Air Transportation

Steven had always wanted to work with airplanes in some way. The specific job was not as important to him as being in the air transportation industry. His past interests, skills and experience involve physics and building model structures, including model planes.

Steven met with a counsellor to discuss career plans and agreed with the suggestion that sheet metal worker/structuralist might fulfil his desires. The Job Futures publication indicated above average projected growth rates, and discussions with employers were encouraging. In planning his entry into the sheet metal trade, he found the options were through commercial, aircraft or military sheet metal training. From there, Steven would receive on-the-job training in the particular company where he was hired. As an aircraft worker, Steven could continue training to become Aircraft Maintenance Engineer - Structure (AME-S) certified. This could lead to a shop foreperson position. Movement into other aircraft trades would only happen through further training.