).Changes in provincial government regulations and policies governing apprenticeship may have resulted in greater difficulties for the education system in providing and supporting apprenticeship
training. For instance, inflexible entry standards in certain trades can be a barrier. Since these standards are set by apprenticeship administrations,
schools have no control over them ().
Cumbersome provincial registration requirements
for apprenticeship make it more difficult to register into apprenticeship than to enter secondary and post-secondary studies (). One government interviewee stated there was “too many rules and too much red tape” in apprenticeship. In his jurisdiction, apprentice registration involves 19 steps, compared to the ten steps in full-time post-secondary programs (). He called for the streamlining and simplification of apprenticeship regulations and processes.
For certain occupations, such as technologists, the apprenticeship system and the post-secondary education system operate in separate channels, with little opportunity for trainees or graduates from one channel to have their qualifications recognized in the other (O’Grady, 1997). Given the difficulty they experience in having their training officially recognized, this separation reduces the incentive for apprentices to complete their apprenticeship.
Specific characteristics of the apprenticeship system,
including perceived inflexibilities, were also identified as barriers by a number of government interviewees (
). One interviewee questioned whether apprenticeship as a system could become more flexible: “It is pretty rigid—from routes to certification, through various levels, and the delivery of technical training” (). Ultimately, a more flexible system will be needed to address identified barriers.
One government representative believes there is a lack of broad-based thinking within the apprenticeship administration system. In this respondent’s view, apprenticeship is tied heavily to the building trades, which look down upon other trades. This representative contends that, regardless of who may be at fault for the existence
of barriers, provincial jurisdictions and the CCDA are ultimately responsible for the barriers found in the apprenticeship system ().
In the view of many employer informants, employers’ ability to hire as many new apprentices
as possible is limited by an inflexible ratio of journeypersons to apprentices (Even et al, 2002; Nova Scotia Labour Market Development Secretariat, 1999; Smith, 2003; ). This barrier is perceived to contribute to skill shortages by limiting new entry into trades. It may also impede employers’
staffing efforts by not enabling them to allow for some degree of attrition among apprentices (Gunderson, 2001). The importance of this barrier may vary significantly from province to province: in some jurisdictions, it may be relatively easy for employers to have the ratios amended.