Students need help completing apprenticeships

Discussions around the skills gap in Canada’s labour force often centre on attracting students to training in trades and apprenticeships, but a recent article in the Edmonton Journal highlights the importance of ensuring that students who enter the trades are able to successfully complete their apprenticeship. The national average for apprenticeship completion is about 50%, and experts say one of the biggest barriers to completion is weakness in “essential skills including reading, writing, numeracy, oral communication, working with others, and computer use,” because 20% of the apprenticeship program is in-class training and industry exams. The article suggests that extra tools and resources are needed for students who lack such essential academic skills. Apprenticeship preparation programs can help students focus on building skills before the actual apprenticeship begins, and can make the completion of an apprenticeship much more attainable. Edmonton Journal