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Apprenticeship and the Public Sector:
Enhancing Engagement and Participation
The importance of maintaining and developing a sustainable workforce for the trades industry is well documented in various studies. Canadian industries are beginning to feel the effects of a shortage of skilled trades people. With record numbers of workers set to retire in the coming years, and the declining rate of population growth, these downward trends in the availability of skilled trades people will also affect the public sector.
This project and research are aimed at engaging public sector employers in a dialogue about the value of apprenticeship, and to understand what barriers or challenges may exist that limit greater public sector participation in apprenticeship training. Moving forward, the main goal is to gather a set of action items that would help us identify how public sector participation in apprenticeship may be enhanced.
As the first step in developing a broad industry strategy, the research process provides a useful mechanism for identifying new issues and building an effective public sector strategy to expand apprenticeship training in the public sector.
The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum-Forum canadien sur l’apprentissage (CAF-FCA) is an inclusive national body that brings together all players in apprenticeship training. CAF-FCA works under the guidance of its Board of Directors, who represent every aspect of the apprenticeship community, bringing to light key issues that affect apprenticeship training – such as perceived barriers to training; the business case for apprenticeship; and the importance of promoting apprenticeship training as a valued and respected choice for post-secondary education.
The interviews will be used to collect qualitative information from employers on current and forecasted hiring procedures of apprenticeships, as well as opinions about ways in which apprenticeship training can be improved, expanded and revised to offer a more viable option to hiring trades employees. Information will be collected from a variety of public sector employers, reflecting their unique occupational and structural make-up. Interview participants from the public sector will be asked to provide feedback on a similar set of questions and issues. The information will be used in the development of a sector-wide human resource plan.
R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd., an independent research firm with offices in Victoria, Edmonton, Toronto and Ottawa has been contracted by CAF-FCA to undertake this research project. The study involves interviews with public sector employers across Canada from educational institutions, Crown Corporations, and the federal, provincial and local government divisions within the public sector.
Interviews are expected to last 45 to 60 minutes.
Any and all personal information obtained in order to conduct the survey research may only be used for the express purpose of this research. The Federal Access to Information Act and Privacy Act will ensure the security of data collected and anonymity participants.
Only the researchers at R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd. will have access to your individual responses. Individual participants will remain anonymous. The research firm will ensure your anonymity by reporting your responses at the aggregate level only. Individual organizations will not be named unless they have a best practise that would be of value to be shared and that they agree to it.
If you require more information about this research project, you may contact Emily Arrowsmith of the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum at (613) 235-4004 (ext. 201) or Joanne Barry, R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd., 1-888-689-1847 (toll free).
R.A. Malatest & Associates Ltd.
www.malatest.com
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