Sunday, August 25, 2024

Apprenticeship Survey Says . . .

CLAC recently surveyed members in Ontario’s construction sector to learn what barriers apprentices face. Here’s what we discovered

By Jessie Clark, Administrative Assistant, CLAC Training, Ontario

One of the biggest—and often scariest—steps in becoming an apprentice in the skilled trades is enrolling in trade school. Every year, hundreds of new apprentices take to the books to learn the technical skills that are required for their trade. Unfortunately, due to limited spots in many schools, delays in receiving offers and progressing through the school levels are all too common among apprentices in Ontario.

To better understand this experience, CLAC’s Ontario Apprenticeship Team conducted a survey that looked at what issues apprentices are having in accessing in-class trade school training.

We had 126 people from a variety of trades take part in the survey between July 5 to 15, 2024. Of the respondents, 112 identified as apprentices and 14 as journeypersons, the majority of whom were enrolled in the electrical (309A) trade.

Our goal was to gain a better understanding of where Ontario apprentices were experiencing barriers to entering all levels of trade school and determine what we can do to help support member apprentices as they progress.

What Did We Find?

• 42 percent of apprentices expressed that they had experienced a delay in getting into trade school within the past 12 months.

• Of the 42 percent who experienced delays,

» 53 percent have completed Level 1 (Basic) and were awaiting an offer for Level 2 (Intermediate). Did you know that there is a typical wait time of 12-18 months per level of school?

» 68 percent have waited longer than 7 months for an offer. Did you know that you can contact your local Employment Ontario apprenticeship office? You can ask to speak to a consultant about your training agreement and in-class training.

Trade school delays can be affected by different factors including scheduling of classes, location of colleges, trade availability at colleges, and backlog of COVID applications.

Did you know that trade school seats are budgeted annually and are impacted by your choice to attend school? That means that when you get an offer, you should register for the class as soon as possible. We know that can be challenging with scheduling, but it can impact your place on the wait list.

What Is the Solution?

The majority of survey respondents indicated that they believe the solution to these delays is simple:

• Increase the number of course offerings per year (23 percent of respondents).

• Increase class sizes (31 percent of respondents).

Several other respondents suggested that a return to online training may also help increase accessibility to trade school. Having a list of colleges that have available spaces for students may be helpful to those waiting for offers.

As well, some respondents suggested that registering directly with the school—rather than waiting for an offer letter from Employment Ontario—would alleviate the stress of having to organize personal and work obligations around a sudden offer.

What Will CLAC Do?

The survey results helped to illuminate what Ontario apprentices are experiencing and what the needs are when it comes to trade school.

With this survey, the CLAC Ontario Apprenticeship Team can advocate for members’ needs when lobbying the government for more funding to increase class sizes and availability and provide feedback to Employment Ontario on the common barriers for apprentices today. It also allows the team to focus on supports that matter to you!

In the meantime, the team will continue to do our best to support you. We have many ways to support you as you progress through your apprenticeship:

• Trade school tuition reimbursement helps reduce financial barriers to schooling.

• Apprenticeship pathway support provides support and education to help you identify what you need and answer your questions as you progress. Contact the Ontario Apprenticeship team today!

Email: Onapprenticeship@clac.ca

Whats App: 289-456-7494

• Mentorship provides one on one personalized support with a qualified journeyperson. Contact the Ontario Apprentice Mentorship team today!

Email: mentor@clac.ca

Text: 519-465-3971

Thank you to everyone who participated in this survey! We truly appreciate all your feedback and will do our best to continue to support you as you progress through your apprenticeship journey.

Apprenticeship Survey Says . . .

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