Margie Hancock's presentation stressed the need for workplace literacy in Newfoundland and Labrador. She stated that the province is at a critical point in its social and economic development. Newfoundland and Labrador has had the highest rate of unemployment within Canada and this can be linked to low literacy skills. At the same time, the marketplace is demanding increased level of skills. Within the province, the Federation of Labour has been an active participant in the Labour Market Development Board, an organization that is charged with identifying and addressing trends in the labour force. In closing, Hancock informed the delegates that the Food and Fishery Allied Workers Union ( FFAW) had developed a literacy project as a direct result of the cod moratorium.

WORKSHOP 2, Apprenticeship and Essential Skills: The Atlantic Experience took place on Friday, October 17, 2003.

This workshop was conducted by:
Joe Brown, Skill Development Coordinator, NS,
Kim Hutchinson, Workplace Education Practitioner, NS,
Gerald Nadeau, Director, Apprenticeship, Training & Occupational Development, NB,
Craig Norton, Apprenticeship and Training, PEI,
Gaelyne MacAulay, Prior Learning Assessment Coordinator, PEI,
Wayne Oakley, Director, Institutional and Industrial Education Division, Department of Youth Services and Post-Secondary Education, NL, and
Arthur Leung, Manager, Industrial Training, Department of Youth Services and Post-Secondary Education, NL.

Apprenticeship is a model of learning that combines on-the-job training with periodic in-school training. Its philosophical base is the combination of practical and theoretical training on an alternating basis to enhance learning and increase overall skill development. The Atlantic Region collaborates on the Apprenticeship Training Program under the auspices of the Atlantic Apprenticeship Council, comprised of the four provincial directors of apprenticeship and the four chairs of the provincial apprenticeship boards (business/industry/labour). Nationally, the thirteen Directors of Apprenticeship, in partnership with Human Resources and Development Canada (HRDC), operate the Red Seal Interprovincial Standards Program which enables labour mobility for certified tradespeople in forty-five trades.

Apprentices have essential skills issues for varying reasons. Math, sciences and document usage in the trades have increased in capacity while new technologies are revolutionizing some trades. In some cases, pre-employment programs that are offered in the regional college system do not address teaching essential skills.

In Prince Edward Island, the apprenticeship training program and Workplace Education are developing a Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition(PLAR) strategy for trade qualifiers.