The EI is paid when somebody goes to technical training. They're eligible to receive employment insurance benefits. In their first year there's a two-week waiting period, the same as for anybody applying for employment insurance, and in subsequent years there's no waiting period.
The problem is that the processing time has caused some problems for apprentices. I've spoken to a number of apprentices who found they were without income for those weeks, which does not motivate them to go back into technical training. It's just one of those barriers that they face on a fairly regular basis.