Apprentices have to go through an in-school portion for training. Depending on your trade, it dictates how much in-school training you have.
In various jurisdictions in Canada we have what are called compulsory trades. Examples are tower crane operators, mobile crane operators, electricians, plumbers, steamfitters and sheet metal, just to name a few. Those compulsory trades have a higher requirement of in-class learning than other trades that are voluntary.
The voluntary trades still have in-class learning, but the challenge is—and this is where it really hits the road—if they're a younger worker and they have to go into a community college, for example, or an IBEW training centre to complete their in-class portion of training, they apply for EI. They can be there for three to six weeks. Oftentimes the delays are such that the apprentice has not received their EI dollars until their training's done. They're waiting six weeks without a paycheque.
Apprentices talk to each other. What do they do? They can't afford to go four to six weeks without a paycheque, so maybe they'll defer their in-class learning. When they defer their in-class learning, it stretches the length that it takes to get their certification. It delays their training and it delays their ability to perform as a certified tradesperson in Canada.