The Skilled Hub: Recent Episodes
canadianapprenticeshipforum
Join France Daviault, Executive Director of the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum as she discusses major topics on apprenticeship systems in Canada with guests.
One of the biggest value propositions that the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum provides to its members are the insights and feedback that we obtain from our Epanel participants. Over the years, CAF has accumulated the contact information of over 4,000 apprentices and journeypeople who have agreed to let us survey them regularly and ask them questions that come from our members. This provides the apprenticeship community with invaluable insight into the lives of apprentices and journey people, what concerns them, what their needs are , and what we can do to make sure they are successful. But what’s even better than the data received from surveying apprentices? Chatting with them one on one. And that’s exactly what we are doing in this episode call A day in the life of a new apprentice.
Labour markets show a labour gap and a growing need for more people to enter the trades. So why is finding an employer to take on a new apprentice such as challenge? Where are employers finding their people? Is there so called “poaching” going on for the experienced apprentices? The reality is that some employers, small and medium sized companies, just don’t have the resources or the hours available to take on a full-time apprentice. Today we will look at one way to address this. Employer consortiums or employer training groups is the idea. There are pockets of these initiatives showing up in Canada in recent years, but this has been an established practice in many parts of the world. Guests are John Rodic, Program manager for Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, Doug Maclaren CEO at Skillsource BC, and Alan Sparks, CEO of East Coast Apprenticeships in Australia.
The collective ‘we’ have been talking about the lack of representation in the skilled trades for decades. There are programs across the country that are doing amazing work in supporting women as they enter the skilled trades and pursue their training and employment. There are grants and funds available as incentives and there are diversity, equity and inclusion programs everywhere. So, why in 2021 do we need to keep working on this? Because the numbers don’t lie.
*Note. We want our discussions to be inclusive of non-binary tradespeople who aren’t female, but still experience similar barriers as the ones women face. A future podcast will be dedicated to conversations with the non-binary and 2SLGBTQ community.
In the first episode we discussed what messages are being given to youth within the education system. It turns out there are confusing messages about skilled trades career and apprenticeship that are given to youth and the public at large. Youth have been given the messages that apprenticeship is an ‘alternative’ to college and university and that right out of high school you can go ‘earn why you learn’. Combine that with the messages around labour shortages in the skilled trades and people are confused. Why then do youth face such barriers in getting into the apprenticeship stream and finding employers to take them on if there’s a labour shortage? In this episode we ask the employers that question.
Have you heard these recurring sound bites? 'Youth can choose apprenticeship over college and university to 'earn while you work' and 'There are thousands of job unfilled in the skilled trades'.
Are these messages accurate? Do they reflect the reality of what's going on on the ground? While CAF-FCA research shows that Canada will need 350,000 new apprentices in the next 4 years, the type of trades that are/will be in demand vary across the country and are dependant on regional economies. Research also shows that apprentices face significant challenges in finding employment and that employers are relunctant to hire apprentices who do not have experience or training.
Does the message that a youth can choose apprenticeship as an alternative to tradition post secondary education still ring true? Who is responsible for ensuring that youth have the correct information regarding successful apprenticeship pathways?
In episodes 1 and 2 we will explore whether the generic messages still fit. In Episode 1, we discuss what information is currently provided to young people in schools and whether or not they have impact on the skills gap. Guests Shaun Thorson, CEO of Skills Canada and Charlene Hayes, teacher with the OCDSB join CAF-FCA Executive Director France Daviault to discuss their perspectives on what is working and not with Canada's messaging to youth about careers in the skilled trades.
Join France Daviault, Executive Director of the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum in January on a new podcast called the Skilled Hub, as she chats with guests about what’s behind the numbers that led to the skills gap in the trades over the years. Is it the message? The process or the system? Get behind what the numbers really mean and what needs to happen to affect change. Episode 1 coming in January 2021.