Skilled trade careers need boost, finds CAF

The work of stakeholders to improve the perception of careers in the skilled trades has improved over the past decade, says the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum’s (CAF) executive director, but there is still work to be done.

LINDSEY COLE

staff writer

"They (youth and parents) were more likely to pursue information about careers in the skilled trades than they had been a decade earlier," says Sarah Watts-Rynard of the outreach. "That really is a reflection, I think, of the last decade’s worth of work that stakeholders have done. We see across the board improvements. I think that the question is, so what do you do next and where are the gaps."

CAF conducted three reports in the latter half of 2014 that examined some key perceptions affecting apprenticeships and careers in the skilled trades.

The first looked at the business case for essential skills training in the trades. CAF conducted a national survey with skilled trades employers to investigate participation in essential skills training and the return on investment.

The second report, released in October, revealed that parents continue to favour university as a post-secondary option, with one in four believing the trades are for "weak" students.

The last report, released in December, examined the role of educators, with 93 per cent of the 715 teachers surveyed saying they are encouraging students to consider careers in the skilled trades. In contrast though, only 13 per cent of parents and 18 per cent of youth agreed.

"One of the things that both parents and youth talked about, and I think it’s a really serious issue, is this idea that a skilled trades career is a bit of a dead end," Watts-Rynard explains.

"Educators say that they promote apprenticeship careers at a very high rate. Over 85 per cent of educators feel as though they are very supportive of skilled trades careers and they pass on information. Meanwhile, we’re in the teens for both parents and for youth in terms of how much they think that’s true. That’s a gap that tells me even though educators say they are very positive and that they do share information, that’s not the perception among parents and youth."

Watts-Rynard states often times there’s ample information available to students about university programs, with guest speakers venturing to the schools.

"There aren’t as many opportunities to hear from tradespeople or hear from employers who are looking to hire young people. I suspect that’s where the gap is coming from," she states. "That’s sort of the next step, is where is the gap coming from and how do we address it."

Fifty-seven per cent of respondents in the survey revolving around education stated a degree is more preferred, and more than half said they believe the trades require hard physical labour, "suggesting they aren’t aware that tradespeople require a strong background in math, science and technology," states a release.

Watts-Rynard says the perception that a career in the skilled trades has no room for improvement needs to change.

"We (as a community) perhaps haven’t talked about what other doors that opens up," she says. "We need to move the conversation forward…talk about career pathways."

She explains CAF is already in the process of conducting a survey to show what those in the trades have done in their careers.

"Right now we’re doing a follow up survey as it happens with journeypersons across the country," Watts-Rynard states, asking them what opportunities their certificate of qualification presented, and what they’ve done with it.

"(It’s) everything from, I mentored an apprentice, to I opened my own business. It’s not just one thing, it is many things. We continue to reach out and try get a really good sample."

Going forward, CAF hopes to share that information in career materials.

Watts-Rynard also hopes to illustrate that employers have a vested interest in their employees and apprentices.

The report conducted on the business case for essential skills training, released in September, showed a positive return on investment for employers.

"While we were asking youth and parents and educators how they felt and what they thought, we were asking employers, tell us what the financial impact is, with emphasis on essential skills," Watts-Rynard states.

"We hear again and again from employers, one of the barriers to apprenticeship training is essential skills. We were asking the question, which essential skills? By and large they’re providing skills around problem solving, around the use of technology, teamwork."

The findings showed that 45 per cent of employers provided essential skills training to their tradespeople and invested a median of $1,125 per learner, realizing a total benefit of $4,071. For every dollar invested, employers observed a return of $3.08, states a release on the report.

"What it does is it says employers are interested in the skills of their workers. We have to remember how rare that really is in workplaces across the country in different sectors," Watts-Rynard explains.

"I think that has a good message to parents and educators and youth and it also speaks to those employers who aren’t making the investment because it sets a benchmark."

The report also noted that apprentices are more likely to receive essential skills training, which Watts-Rynard states shows "employers are seeing them as their future."

"That’s pretty groundbreaking when you put that up against where it is that employer investments and training are usually going in other sectors," she adds.

"It turns into a message that tells parents and tells youth that this is an industry that cares about their future."