Apprenticeship Guide for Educators Gets Top Marks

These days, there is a lot of discussion about skilled trades shortages and the need for more skilled workers. However, if you (or someone you know) were interested in a career in the trades, would you know where to go for more information? Many people would not.

According to Canadian Apprenticeship Forum-Forum canadien sur l’apprentissage (CAF-FCA) research: “For young people, a lack of early exposure to trades affects their awareness of career options involving trades.”¹ In addition, only 14% of youth indicated that their guidance counsellors have recommended this career option, and only 28% of youth say their parents have encouraged them to pursue this option.²

For these and other reasons, the CAF-FCA has developed a wide range of resources to help individuals access information about the skilled trades. First, they launched an Apprenticeship Portal at www.apprenticetrades.ca. It offers a searchable database of links to apprenticeship information in each province and territory. Most recently, the CAF-FCA and its partner Skills/Compétences Canada (S/CC) produced Apprenticeship A First Choice Post-Secondary Option — An Educator’s Guide to Careers in Skilled Trades. It provides educators with much-needed information about apprenticeship and the skilled trades.

Like many provincial and territorial government offices responsible for apprenticeship training, the province of Manitoba faced several challenges. They wanted to change the look and appeal of the skilled trades in the minds of the public. They wanted to explain how the apprenticeship system works in Manitoba. They also wanted to equip educators with the information necessary to promote the skilled trades to students and their parents. “When we came across the Educator’s Guide, we realized that its goals aligned with our strategic targets: we both wanted to reach educators and students”, says Joe Black, Executive Director of Apprenticeship, Manitoba Competitiveness Training and Trades.

Tanya Jakob, Marketing Officer for the Manitoba Apprenticeship Branch agrees: “Educators are an important piece of the puzzle. If we can make inroads with them and provide them with information and tools about apprenticeship training, then they are more likely to encourage more youth to consider a career in the skilled trades and promote the concept to parents”.

As a result, the province of Manitoba decided to hold apprenticeship seminars for educators. Manitoba incorporated into its program the Educator’s Guide and other materials developed by the CAF-FCA and S/CC’s Skilled Trades: A Career You Can Build On campaign. The events, held in 2 locations in the province, were a resounding success. “In addition to getting our information into the hands of educators”, says Jakob, “we also received important feedback from teachers. Most want this seminar to become an annual fall event; they welcome an opportunity to interact with a panel of live experts and tradespeople; they value the province-specific apprenticeship information that we inserted into the back of the Educator’s Guide; and they appreciate receiving a hard copy of the Guide to take back to their schools.”

“Ultimately”, concludes Executive Director Black, “colleges and universities consistently market themselves to the public. As a result, many people perceive that they have only two post-secondary options after high school: either college, or university. The Guide has helped us to clearly indicate that apprenticeship is a third, very real post-secondary option. People have more choices than they think”.

The Educator’s Guide is available in limited quantities from provincial/territorial government apprenticeship offices, S/CC offices and the CAF-FCA. It is also available on-line at: http://www.careersintrades.ca/all/EducatorsGuide-English.pdf.