Following the presentation of each of the nine generic barriers, the report presents additional dimensions to these barriers as they are experienced by a number of specific groups that have been traditionally under-represented in the trades and apprenticeship system: women, Aboriginal people, visible minorities, recent immigrants and persons with disabilities. Research conducted for this study has revealed that members of these groups face a number of common barriers:

• A lack of career-related information targeted to their specific concerns and circumstances;
• Harassment and isolation in the workplace and in some classroom training sites;
• Discriminatory hiring practices;
• Skills gaps, particularly in the areas of literacy and numeracy;
• Resource constraints on community associations that provide valuable support and labour-market integration services to members of these groups; and
• Economic disadvantages and social exclusion, both of which can act as foundational barriers in the apprenticeship system.

Research into the experience of these groups with apprenticeship also revealed a number of commonalities that are worth mentioning in the interest of understanding the nature of the barriers encountered by these groups.

1. It is important to bear in mind that the barriers faced by members of under-represented groups are additional barriers. Members of these groups face the generic barriers that all apprentices face, as well as barriers commonly encountered by members of their own group.
2. Some individuals may face barriers from more than one of these under-represented groups. For example, a woman from a visible-minority group will face barriers commonly experienced by women, as well as barriers faced by visible minorities.
3. In some cases, apprenticeship-specific barriers perceived by under-represented groups are complex and interdependent with deeper and more subtly pervasive barriers. For example, to understand the nature of gender-specific barriers to apprenticeship, it is essential to understand the sex-typing of occupational choices in children and young adults, such as preconceptions about “woman’s work” versus “man’s work”. Similarly, the many barriers to apprenticeship faced by members of visible – minority groups are strongly linked to broader and more pervasive barriers related to historical patterns of social and economic disadvantage.

Readers should bear in mind two important considerations related to the interpretation of the report’s findings. First, the report often draws generalized conclusions or observations based on a broad, pan-Canadian overview of issues and practices. However, in some jurisdictions, circumstances may vary from the generalized observation presented in the report.

Second, readers may note that certain barriers identified in this report are not necessarily peculiar to apprenticeship but hold true for other forms of training or education. The barriers described in this report are based on information gathered in the specific context of apprenticeship, and it is their applicability to apprenticeship that is the focus of this report.

It should be noted that, in conducting its work, the research team was moved by the difficult experiences related by apprentices, tradespersons and members of individual equity groups. The energy and imagination with which many stakeholders and jurisdictions were overcoming many of the barriers, including generic barriers, was clearly visible. These efforts complemented and supported the very strong commitment to apprenticeship demonstrated by all stakeholder groups—to support apprenticeship and find ways to make it better.