Some respondents also questioned the composition of college advisory committees. Respondents believed that these committees do not accurately reflect the trades and add little value. Some employers expressed concerns over the usefulness of training and the support they receive from training institutions, and provincial and territorial apprenticeship administrators. In some jurisdictions, employers and unions called for greater industry involvement in setting curricula, hiring teachers, and influencing standards (TIANS, 2002; Prism Economics, 2000A).

Schools have sometimes been blamed for paying insufficient attention to trades and apprenticeship. This seeming lack of concern has translated into a lack of qualified teachers (Metalcutting Industry Coordinating Committee, 2002) with advanced formal qualification (Economic Council of Canada, 1992). In particular, qualified instructors are difficult to find or recruit in rural or remote locations.

These concerns, however, were not universally shared. In the construction sector in British Columbia, for example, one employer survey found “average to high” levels of satisfaction with curricula, currency of apprentices’ knowledge, and access to technical training (BCCA, 1997).

Technical training locations are often not available, particularly in rural or remote areas.

Some employers in manufacturing and construction, as well as a number of labour respondents and individual apprentices, pointed to the lack of locations for the technical component of apprentices’ training. This barrier added transportationor accommodation costs to direct training costs, and placed an additional burden on both employers and apprentices (Starr Group et al, 2002; ).Employers and apprentices in remote areas also favoured more flexible training options (British Columbia Construction Association, 1997; Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Training Division, 2000), while some labour spokespersons suggested that, in certain cases, instructors should come to students ().

In addition, delivery of in-class portions of apprenticeship training to participants living in remote locations has been identified as a major barrier (). Alternative methods of training delivery have been used, but these methods have met with limited success due to high costs ().

Many jurisdictions lack adequate capacity for Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition.

Employers and unions in a number of sectors (renovation/residential, baking, automotive service and collision repair) () perceived a weak capacity in many jurisdictions and training institutions to assess and recognize the prior learning of apprentices. This weakness meant that, regardless of previous relevant experience, new apprentices have to “start at the beginning”, which could dissuade them from entering apprenticeships.