A significant problem for trainees who are receiving social assistance is the lack of progressive training stages. Clients who attend a literacy program experience a delay before proceeding to academic upgrading, skills training, or career education. Successful programs that enable social assistance recipients to move from dependency to independence require stability, funding coordination, and linkages with a wide range of types of sequential occupational training.

Many case studies of social assistance recipients compiled by the Department of Health and Welfare, Policy, Research and Planning Branch, have cited examples of fear, frustration, and increased poverty in the efforts of these people to increase their employability. The CLMPC Task Force on Social Assistance Recipients recommended 5- year agreements for shared funding, national training objectives and criteria, common evaluation, and single-tier levels for training allowances.

Statement of belief

Coordination and division of responsibilities (income support and training costs) between the various levels of government with respect to social assistance recipients and training agreements should be considered of utmost importance to ensure that a coherent transition system exists for such people.

Recognition of skills

The recognition of skills entails two issues:

• skills acquired through the training program;
• skills that a person brings to the training program, whether formally certified or acquired through work or life experience.
  
  

The second issue is dealt with in the section on prior learning assessment

The training system should support lifelong learning by providing opportunities for career "laddering." To be effective, a training system must impart portable and transferable skills.

• Portability implies that skills and competencies certified in any province or territory will be recognized by employers and providers of education and training in other jurisdictions;
  
  
• Transferability means that skills and competencies validated in one industry can be recognized and validated for further training for a job in another industry.
  
  

Occupational standards

Standards are critical for ensuring portability and transferability of skills. Occupational standards describe in detail the skills, knowledge, and sometimes the attitudes that are required to perform competently in a given occupation. The most effective standards are those based on competence and set by the private sector (by incumbents and those closely associated with the occupation) with input from the education-training community and relevant regulators and other government representatives. Standards are also developed in some areas for individual skills or skill bands, particularly in areas where the skill mix changes frequently and occupations are not the best framework in which to develop standards.