That is an excellent question.
The apprenticeship systems in the EU countries have existed for a very long time. They are part of that continuation of public education. The apprenticeship systems in the Canadian context were really structured for adults, mainly for veterans returning from World War II. In most provinces, vocational schools were first established in the 1960s for public school students who were not so academically inclined and whose success was built upon applying what they learned in a much quicker cycle.
The key to the successful element of the apprenticeship system is that it is a workplace-based training program that focuses on the employer or those who have a full-time job with an employer. To change that system would require a fundamental change to most of our educational institutions.
I think the system we have in place does work quite well, and we can build upon that success.