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The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum – Forum canadien sur l’apprentissage (CAF-FCA) is a multi-partite organization including representatives of business, labour, the Inter-Provincial Alliance of Apprenticeship Board Chairs (IPA), educators, persons with disabilities, women, members of visible minorities, aboriginal persons, the Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship (CCDA) and Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC).

CAF-FCA’s objectives are to promote apprenticeship as an effective training and education system that contributes to the development of a skilled labour force and to provide a mechanism for the key stakeholders to support the apprenticeship delivery systems across Canada.“ Knowledge Matters”, the HRDC component of Canada’s Innovation Strategy emphasizes the notion that people are a country’s greatest resource in today’s economy. The reality is that a move to a knowledge-based economy means an increasing demand for a well-educated and skilled workforce in all parts of the economy and country.

Apprenticeship and skilled trades are a vital link in meeting this demand, and in the future health of the Canadian economy.

The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum – Forum canadien sur l’apprenticessage hosted its first pan-Canadian Conference “Apprenticeship is the Future” June, 2–4, 2002. The conference, held in Richmond, British Columbia saw over 400 delegates in attendance. There was strong support from the Apprenticeship community and delegates took advantage of the opportunity to network and share ideas and strategies. Throughout the 21/2 day event, presenters showcased ideas and strategies in support of apprenticeship now, and in the future. This document provides a summary reporting of the 24 concurrent sessions delivered throughout the conference.

The conference program was intended to share, showcase and discuss strategies/activities various segments of the apprenticeship community are implementing to address regional or national priorities within a specific sector or trade. The broader themes and priorities discussed at the conference are highlighted within the Executive Summary; the more detailed Report highlighting the information presented in each particular session is also included in the main body of the document.

The information presented in this document reflects the opinion of the individual presenters and are not necessarily the opinions of CAF-FCA. The presentations provided a “snapshot” of new or innovative approaches that have been implemented in sections of the apprenticeship community in response to key challenges and emerging issues. An open Call for Presentations, distributed widely among apprenticeship stakeholders, was used to elicit the material presented during the conference.