Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee.
We appreciate the opportunity to provide input to the committee's study.
ACCC's 130 member colleges, institutes, polytechnics, and university colleges, hereafter referred to as colleges, are significant providers of in-class training for apprentices. Our presentation focuses on the role of colleges and how we can work together to enhance apprenticeship opportunities.
More must be done to valorize trades occupations. Rather than “tradespeople”, we use the term “trades professionals”. We are collaborating with Canadian and international partners to change perceptions and increase recognition of the advanced skills required for trades professions. The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum and Skills Canada have done excellent work through research and the promotion of trades professions. The careersintrades.ca website should be promoted more widely to youth, parents, and guidance counsellors.
Trades programs must be made accessible for disadvantaged and aboriginal youth. A 2012 Statistics Canada study found there are 906,000 youth age 15 to 29 who are neither employed nor in education, or NEET as some may have heard.
These youth were hit hardest during the recession and will remain vulnerable should the economy decline once again. Aboriginal youth are a key part of the solution to addressing skills shortages. For example, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada reports that in the next 10 years the natural resources sector will need to fill approximately 400,000 new jobs, while the same number of aboriginal youth will be entering the labour market.
Colleges offer supportive and inclusive learning environments, flexible programming, and wraparound support services that foster student success. Through college pre-trades or pre-apprenticeship programs, youth can learn about different trades professions over the course of an academic year.
For youth who may not have the high school diploma to qualify for these programs, colleges offer laddering opportunities through upgrading and essential skills programs. There is a need for enhanced funding to support participation in these programs—for example, through the labour market development agreements, conditions to those agreements, and the aboriginal skills and employment training strategy.
Employer engagement is key to increasing apprenticeship opportunities. A major barrier for potential apprentices is that they cannot find employers to sponsor them. Many colleges are assisting students in pre-trades programs to find employer sponsors. There is a need for more and improved incentives for employers to hire apprentices.
We must ensure apprentices have the financial support they need. ACCC members report that the lag in payment of employment insurance for apprentices during in-class training is a major barrier to completion. When apprentices are not paid during the in-class training, many drop out or do not return for the next level. The Government of Canada must fast-track EI claims for apprentices or introduce a mechanism that would provide bridge funding.
The Government of Canada apprenticeship completion grant does provide an incentive. However, this grant should be treated like other post-secondary grants, bursaries, and scholarships and be tax exempt.
We must ensure registrants in pre-trades programs are aware they can apply for Canada study grants and loans. For the most part, these programs are post-secondary level and, having a duration of one academic year, they meet the CSLP eligibility requirements. Aboriginal post-secondary funding and training support must recognize trades programs as eligible.
Apprentices need improved mobility options. The Red Seal program allows for the recognition of qualifications. However, apprentices moving from one jurisdiction to another and sometimes even from one employer to another often hit barriers and cannot have their hours and technical training levels recognized. We must find a way to standardize apprenticeship levels across jurisdictions, to create pathways that are more efficient.
Prior learning assessment and recognition services offered by colleges could be used more efficiently to facilitate the mobility of apprentices. PLAR can be costly to deliver. Institutions and learners would benefit from increased support for PLAR assessments.
There is a need for investments in college trades training infrastructure. The Government of Canada knowledge infrastructure program supported much-needed job creation during the recession and delivered 246 projects that expanded capacity at colleges. Among these, 31 were specifically for the construction of trades facilities.
The KIP investments made a difference but fell short of demand. Due to space and equipment limitations, colleges have to wait-list students interested in trades programs, while employers are saying they cannot find enough people with trades qualifications. The results of a 2012 survey of Canadian employers by the ManpowerGroup indicates skilled trades professions are the most difficult positions to fill. Further federal investment in college infrastructure would build on the legacy of KIP to allow Canada to meet the demand for advanced skills. Colleges would also benefit from increased support to upgrade equipment in trades and apprenticeship facilities.
To sum up, we need to valorize trades professions, increase access for disadvantaged and aboriginal youth, improve incentives for employers to hire apprentices, ensure apprentices have the financial supports and the mobility options they need to reach certification, and invest in college infrastructure and equipment to ensure colleges have the capacity to respond.
Thank you.