OTTAWA/CNW/ An imminent labor shortage is a common subject of today's headlines, and the skilled trades will be among the hardest hit. Apprenticeship is a solution, but only if youth can be convinced there are viable opportunities for those who become certified in their trade.
The construction sector estimates the need for 316,000 workers to replace the retiring workforce by 2017. In the automotive sector, shortages over the next 10 years are projected to be as high as 77,000 employees. The Canadian tourism sector predicts the labor shortage will cost it billions of dollars. As each of these sectors considers apprenticeship as a potential solution to replenishing the workforce, now is the time to show apprentices their value in the workforce.
"Apprenticeship completion is a topic with many contributing factors and a wealth of debate about how to address it," says Sarah Watts-Rynard, executive director of CAF-FCA. "Our recent Assessing Apprenticeship Outcomes: Building a Case for Pursuing and Completing an Apprenticeship study showed the significant benefits for apprentices who become certified in their trade. We need to share this message."
The Canadian Apprenticeship Journal is a forum for discussion and debate in the apprenticeship community on a national and international level. Contributors include researchers, educators, policy analysts and key decision makers. Other important contributions come from provincial/territorial apprenticeship authorities, employer and labor associations, as well as international apprenticeship bodies. This is the fourth issue available online at www.caj-jca.ca.
CAF-FCA is an inclusive national body that brings together all of the stakeholders in Canada's apprenticeship community. Visit www.caf-fca.org for more information.
The Government of Canada's sector council program funds CAF-FCA and this project.