CAF-FCA Press Releases

Victoria, BC – June 8, 2008 - Conference Co-Chairs, Cindy Oliver of the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators of B.C. and Mary Lawson of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association, are pleased to announce that The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum’s (CAF-FCA) conference is sold out again!

The conference, which is primarily supported by business and labour, has over 500 delegates representing the Canadian apprenticeship community together, networking and learning from each other.

Recognizing the role that CAF-FCA can play in bringing key stakeholders together is witnessed by the significant commitments made by industry for this year’s event. The event’s theme Apprenticeship, Our Competitive Advantage is supported by the B.C. Construction Industry Employers, who are among a number of organizations providing significant financial support to the event. “Apprenticeship training is a key part of the labour market solution here in B.C.”, says Manley McLachlan of the B.C. Construction Association. “Training apprentices is an investment we make for the future of our businesses,” says Clyde Scollan of the CLRA of B.C.

Building a business case for apprenticeship training is what the CAF-FCA is all about. “Apprenticeship training provides a return on investment, increased productivity in the work place, lower recruitment costs, improves retention and makes good business sense”, says Dan Mott, CAF-FCA Chair. A record number of employers are in attendance which shows how important these issues are for Canadian companies today.

The event, which runs for two and a half days, also has a record number of Canadian and international delegates and a host of presenters including three winning apprentices, the Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship, the Honourable Ida Chong, Minister of Community Services and Minister Responsible for Seniors' and Women's Issues, and the Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Canada.

The Canadian Operating Engineers Joint Apprenticeship and Training Council has been a long standing supporter of apprenticeship training and of the CAF-FCA. When asked about the importance of apprenticeship training in Canada, Mr. Derm Cain, the Canadian Director says, “Apprenticeship training is the foundation of building trades in Canada, supporting apprenticeship ensures we have a skilled workforce for tomorrow and that is just simply the right thing to do!”

Apprenticeship, Our Competitive Advantage runs from June 8th to 10th, 2008 at the Victoria Conference Centre, Victoria B.C.

For information about the event and future podcasts of the event please visit: www.caf-fca.org/en/webcasts/

Background

The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum – Forum canadien sur l’apprentissage (CAF-FCA) is a not-for-profit organization that promotes and supports the apprenticeship training and education systems in Canada. Funded through the Federal Government’s Sector Council Program with Human Resources and Social Development, CAF-FCA includes representatives of the following constituent groups:

• Business
• Labour
• Interprovincial Alliance of Apprenticeship Board chairs (IPA)
• Educators
• Persons with disabilities
• Women
• Visible minorities
• Aboriginal persons
• The Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship (CCDA), and
• Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC).

Media Contact:

Debbie Miller,
Communications Manager
613-235-4004 ext. 207
debbie_miller@caf-fca.org
www.caf-fca.org