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

The CAF-FCA operates with two clear objectives:

• Promote apprenticeship as an
  effective training and education
  system that contributes to the
  development of a skilled labour force.
• Provide a mechanism for the key
  stakeholders to support the
  apprenticeship delivery systems
  across Canada.

The importance of skilled workers to the knowledge economy has recently been emphasized in a number of documents and reports including “Knowledge Matters,”the HRDC component of Canada’s Innovation Strategy. “Knowledge Matters”presents a
compelling argument in support of a key notion –the Canadian labour market must have an adequate supply of workers in skilled trades and technology areas to ensure our
future prosperity.

Priority Areas:
The CAF-FCA is focusing its efforts on selected priority areas. These initiatives are intended to be examined from a pan- Canadian perspective and benefit broad occupational and sectoral audiences.

What Is The Promotion Of
Apprenticeship Project?

The Promotion Project is in the
developmental and planning stages. This project will bring together CAF-FCA and Skills/Compétences Canada (SCC) into a unique and dynamic partnership. Through this partnership, the two organizations will carry out a pan-Canadian marketing and
promotion plan.

What Are The Objectives?
The Promotion of Apprenticeship Project has two key and complementary objectives.

The first goal will be to “reposition”skilled trade careers as a first choice career option in the minds of Canadian youth, their parents and other key influencers. The improved image and increased profile of trades is expected to help, in part, to address the issue
of skills shortages encouraging more young people to consider careers in this segment of the labour market.

The second, and equally important, objective of this project will be to focus on the “demand”side of the skills shortage issue. The goal in moving this forward is to work to
ensure that those young people that elect to pursue a career in skilled trades have every opportunity to succeed. This portion of the
project will work with all stakeholders –including business and labour –to help ensure there are lasting and meaningful opportunities for young people to enter and complete their apprenticeship training.

Who Is Involved?

The CAF-FCA and SCC have submitted a funding proposal to Human Resources
Development Canada. The proposal calls for the creation of a joint steering committee made up of equal numbers of representatives from CAF-FCA and SCC. This Committee will be accountable to the boards of CAF-FCA
and SCC and will provide the overall strategic direction for the project. CAF-FCA’s membership on the committee will include representatives of business, labour, the Inter-Provincial Alliance of Board Chairs (IPA), educators, persons with disabilities, members of visible minorities, aboriginal persons and
women, the Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship (CCDA) and Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC).

What Is The Current Status?
The proposal has been submitted and is awaiting approval. Upon approval it is hoped that work on this initiative could begin by the late summer or early fall.

What Is The Inventory /
Information Project?
The Inventory / Information Project is a
3 - phased project. The Project will be
examining the best manner in which to
establish an accessible, user-friendly and “one-stop”location by which valid and up-to-date information can be obtained as it pertains to Apprenticeship programs.

What Are The Objectives?
The project’s objectives are to develop, implement and evaluate a pan-Canadian inventory / information system on a full range of apprenticeship areas.

Who’s Involved?
The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum –Forum canadien sur l’apprentissage (CAF-FCA) has obtained funding for the project from Human Resources Development Canada. The project is managed by an 8 member steering committee that reflects representation from all constituent groups that sit on the CAF-FCA board. The steering
committee includes representatives from business, labour, the Inter-Provincial Alliance of Board Chairs (IPA), educators, persons with disabilities, members of visible
minorities, aboriginal persons, women, the Canadian Council of Directors of
Apprenticeship (CCDA) and Human
Resources Development Canada (HRDC).

What Is The Framework Of The
Project:
The project is structured into three phases.

Phase 1: Focuses on research and planning and will provide the foundation for the development and implementation of the inventory / information system inventory / information system.

Phase 2: Building on the results and
recommendations of the comprehensive
research completed in Phase 1, the
infrastructure and platform for the Inventory / Information base will be developed and
launched.

Phase 3: A comprehensive assessment and evaluation of the inventory / information system will be conducted as part of the final phase. Recommendations for improvements,
modifications and changes to the system will be proposed and implemented as required. A
maintenance strategy will also be
implemented at that time.

What Is The Current Status?
Prism Economics and Analysis and AMEC Technologies have been retained to complete the work on Phase 1. A comprehensive literature review and an Internet site review /
assessment are being completed across Canada. A household telephone survey will be conducted over the months of July and August. The final report and blueprint for the
Inventory / Information system will be
available in November 2002.

What Is The Accessibility And
Removal Of Barriers Project?
The Accessibility and Removal of Barriers Project is a 2-phased research project that will look at the degree and extent to which there are barriers to accessing and completing apprenticeship programs.

What Are The Project’s
Objectives?
The project’s objectives are to determine
answers to critical questions such as:

• What barriers to accessing
  and completing apprenticeship
  training programs are affecting
  the community at present?
• Are these barriers systemic or
  are they specific to particular
  regions, trades or segments of
  the population; including the
  designated equity segments?

It is expected that the research will, in the most comprehensive manner, delve into the barriers to individuals accessing, remaining in and in fact, completing an apprenticeship program. The research can include but is not limited to areas such as:

• Examining the business cycles
  in specific trades or regions as
  they may relate to the supply
  and demand of apprentices.
• Examining employer percep-tions
  regarding the real or perceived costs of participating in apprenticeship programs.
• Examining the effects of
  senority clauses within
  collective agreements and how
  they may create barriers to
  accessing or completing
  apprenticeship.

What Is The Current Status?
The Accessibility and Removal of Barriers Project has a start date of July 2, 2002. The first activity is to develop the Terms of Reference for the project and to hire an external research consultant. This process is
expected to be completed by the end of September 2002.

MAKING IT WORK

What Is The Making it Work
Booklet?
The Making it Work Booklet is an
information guide prepared for employers, apprentices and journeypersons involved in the on-the-job portion of apprenticeship. The
guide addresses basic principles of the on-the-job training which apply to all trades.

How Was It Developed?
The guide was developed after extensively surveying and interviewing employers, journeypersons and apprentices across Canada. Surveys were distributed by the provincial/territorial Directors of
Apprenticeship, industry associations, unions and sector councils. They were asked specific advice on how to make on-the-job training a success. The guide was assembled with practical suggestions –they work, and they make on-the-job training work!

Need A Copy?
Making it Work has been produced in a format that makes it a useful day-to-day tool for the apprentice, the supervising journeyperson and the employer. It is a pocket-sized, coil bound booklet and is printed on a waterproof, tear-resistant stock. The quality of the paper ensures that the booklet will stand up to everyday use. Making it Work is available for sale at a base cost of $5.00 per copy (including shipping and handling). Making it Work orders can be submitted by e-mail to suzanne_leblanc@caf-fca.org

It is expected that the research will provide the apprenticeship community with a benchmark of current activity levels from which to assess all future activities pertaining barriers to accessing and completing apprenticeship programs, particularly as they pertain to the Red Seal Program.

Who’s Involved?
The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum –
Forum canadien sur l’apprentissage (CAF-FCA) has obtained funding for the 2-phased project from Human Resources Development Canada. The project is managed by an 8 member steering committee that reflects
representation from all constituent groups that sit on the CAF-FCA board. The steering committee includes representatives from business, labour, the Inter-Provincial Alliance of Board Chairs (IPA), educators, persons
with disabilities, members of visible
minorities, aboriginal persons, women, the Canadian Council of Directors of
Apprenticeship (CCDA) and Human
Resources Development Canada (HRDC).

What Is The Framework Of The
Project?
The project is structured into two phases.

Phase 1: Focuses on research and analysis. Much research has already been done in this area, as a result, the project will include opportunities to collect data and information that is pan-Canadian in it’s scope and supports concerns from distinct target groups.

Phase 2: The second phase of the project is the communication stage of the overall initiative. The launch of the final report will be coordinated with other CAF-FCA initiatives to maximize the effectiveness of the findings. The external communication strategy will rely heavily on the engaged participation of a full range of stakeholders.

COMMON CORE PROJECT

What Is Common Core?
CAF-FCA has become a vehicle to engage discussion and dialogue amongst the stakeholders around the complex concept of Common Core.
After considerable consultation, the Steering Committee defined Common Core as:

Common Core curriculum standard is a list of validated technical training
outcomes, based upon those sub-tasks identified as common core in the National Occupational Analysis (NOA), and validated by industry in the provinces and territories as incorporating the essential tasks, knowledge and skills associated with a given trade.

A set of Guiding Principles have been
developed that can be considered by the
apprenticeship community when
contemplating the development of a Common Core Model.

Guiding Principles:

• Employers and employees working
  in the specific trade should be
  involved in the process.
• All provinces/territories should
  have the opportunity to participate
  in the process.
• Common core should be developed
  based on and directly related to the
  common core elements of the
  National Occupational Analyses.
• Common Core should be used to
  s upport and enhance the application of National Occupational Analysis standards. It should not serve to dilute or reduce the level of the se standards.
• Where ever possible, consistent
  terminology, trade names, titles
  and other key terms should be used.
• Development of “mapping”or flow
  charts describing key learning
  objectives, as part of the process,
  will assist with labour force mobility.
• Seeking out opportunities for more
  “seamless”recognition of equivalencies (i.e. appropriate credit for learning objectives achieved) will assist with labour force mobility).
• Where ever possible, common sequencing should be incorporated
  into common core as an aid to work force mobility.

The Steering Committee will continue to seek input and perspective on the Common Core Approach and will continue to engage the apprenticeship community on this issue.

“APPRENTICESHIP IS THE FUTURE”
CONFERENCE SUMMARY

One of the highlights of the event was the presentation made by two Skills /
Compétences Canada Competitors who
spoke to the audience about their personal experiences working in their respective trades.

Anna Petryshyn, a mold making apprentice who placed Gold in Ontario and Silver at the 8th Canadian Skills Competition in Vancouver spoke to the audience about the pressures of parents and peers regarding her career choice. She gave the audience a moving inside look at attitudes and perspectives of
acceptability with respect to careers in the trades.