Finally, the lack of prior-learning and credentials recognition may often be the reason why recent immigrants enter apprenticeships. As such, the traditional apprenticeship model may be entirely inappropriate to their labour-market integration needs (Atlin and Pond-White, 2000). The prospect of having to “start from scratch” is a point of serious concern for foreign-trained workers (Atlin & Pond-White, 2000; 
). Starting over can be especially frustrating for immigrants who have spent years in their countries
of origin already working in their trade. For immigrants with families to support, the prospect of having to spend several years retraining may not be viable because of financial barriers (Gordon, 2002).
From an administrative or regulatory point of view, the lack of consistency across provincial apprenticeship offices in the assessment and recognition of foreign qualifications reflects differing levels of experience. In centres other than the large cities that typically receive most immigrants to Canada, apprenticeship offices may not have the necessary experience in assessing various forms of foreign qualifications (CREHS & Skills for Change, 2001).
Physical adaptation of worksites remains the principal obstacle to on-the-job training (
).
In addition, employers do not have ready access to funding and other means for adapting workplaces ().
A significant number of persons with disabilities simply cannot undertake full-time classroom training, precluding them from undertaking traditional apprenticeship training (). Persons with certain types of physical disabilities may also be limited in the type of apprenticeship they can participate in, particularly in construction-related trades ().
A range of other barriers has been identified. In some professional training schools, part of the funding is tied to the number of graduates. As such, these schools might be less inclined to accept or encourage participation by persons with disabilities, creating an additional barrier (). Furthermore, problems associated with distance from training centres are compounded for persons whose movement is restricted as a result of disabilities ().