I touched on some of the things that have worked. We have seen the student work placement program work out for students. Again, the number has shrunk from 60,000 in 2022-23 to 40,000 now, but it's something that we have seen work. It's important that we have more funding put into this.
To touch on more stuff the government can do to help students out, and to touch a bit on apprentices, we take a holistic view of education and training. With the federal government focus on major projects and infrastructure, CASA is pushing for the government to establish that 10% of the hours on those projects in infrastructure, major projects and housing are hours being worked by apprentices. This is something we have seen in provinces like Alberta and across some other provinces in the country. In the U.S. between 2012 and 2022, the apprenticeship number went up by 64%, but in Alberta it decreased by 48%. How do we find those apprenticeship trainers who can help students through their journey to get those skills?
I would say that the student work placement program and apprenticeship hours would be two aspects where government could help.