Press Releases

Ottawa (Ontario) – March 27, 2013 – Technology is having a profound impact on the nature of the skilled trades, apprenticeship training and journeyperson skills requirements, a report released today by the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum – Forum canadien sur l’apprentissage (CAF-FCA) advises.

Two national organizations, the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum and Skills/Compétences Canada, have partnered to revamp the popular Careers in Trades website and ensure Canadian youth have to access up-to-date information on skilled trades careers.

“Vocational Education in the Age of a Global Workforce” brings together foreign authors from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to share their visions for vocational training.

The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce its intention to continue operations beyond March 31, 2013, when operational funding through the federal Sector Council Program ends.

The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF-FCA) launched its first membership campaign, calling for champions of apprenticeship to come forward to support a national research, discussion and promotion mandate.

Saskatchewan Minister of Education, the Honourable Russ Marchuk, announced during the opening ceremonies of the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum’s 2012 national conference that the Government of Saskatchewan was declaring the first week of June “Skilled Trades Week.”

As the lead sponsor of the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum’s national conference June 3 to 5, 2012, Suncor Energy is committed to being part of the conversation on building skilled talent across Canada.

Shortages in the skilled trades are already having an impact on Canadian employers, issuing an early warning for the demographic crunch expected in the next decade. Construction, mining, energy, manufacturing and service sectors all report real and anticipated shortages that will pose a pan-Canadian challenge to the country’s economy.