Human Resources committee  I agree with you. That is very sensible. Statistical analyses show that basic skills are essential to future success in the apprenticeship programs.

Human Resources committee  No. The two key factors I see that really came to light in the results of my work are the education level students have before they register in these programs, and the actual length of the programs themselves. As for increasing registrations, the information has to be made more accessible.

Human Resources committee  It seems related to the fact that other apprentices take part in the same training period. Being the only apprentice in a business is not the same thing as being part of a little group of people who can help each other out.

Human Resources committee  That would seem to be the case.

Human Resources committee  Several apprenticeship programs have a final exam at the end which the apprentice must pass. If the apprentice has a good basic education in addition to the official qualifications for the apprenticeship program, this helps him to pass that exam. On the one hand, we want to encourage mobility by having certification programs, but on the other hand, certification programs require that apprentices have better basic skill levels.

Human Resources committee  We did not examine the obstacles that apprentices face as such, or the reasons they mention, but we did ask them that question in the National Apprenticeship Survey. Previously we mentioned that many abandoned their studies because of the lack of jobs. I think one of the reasons many apprentices register in the program when they are older is that the information about these programs is not accurate.

Human Resources committee  In the previous session, we mentioned that the length of the program had no influence on whether or not people completed it, but here we are basing our information on the official length of the program. A lot of apprentices do not respect the official program deadlines and fall behind.

Human Resources committee  I've been asked to keep my comments short, and I'm much faster in French than in English, so I will switch to French right now. I worked on a study on the differences between apprentices who complete their program and those who abandon it. You heard a little bit about the context previously.