- We recommend that employers and labour develop national occupational or
skills standards in consultation with the appropriate labour market partners,
such as government, equity groups, and the education and training community.
This consultation is critical in developing standards that are recognized by both
the education and training system and industry. This is the only way to establish
standards that lead to portability and transferability of skills.
- We recommend that the CLFDB and the federal government support the
development of national occupational or skills standards, where appropriate,
and that the federal government reallocate resources to achieve the development
and implementation of standards. Federal assistance for training should be
based on the existence of standards and should be provided for programs that
deliver the skills identified in the standards.
- We recommend that the CLFDB continue to develop a national standards
framework and establish flexible guidelines and methods for the development,
validation, and evaluation of standards. This framework should promote the
electronic storage and retrieval of standards to prevent duplication and facilitate
the sharing of information.
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a recognized training system in Canada, leading to certification
as a journey person. It is a good training system, but there are limitations
to considering it as
part of a transition into employment system. For most apprentice able trades,
it is a way of moving from unskilled to skilled employment, not from non-employment
to
employment. As such, it does not address the needs of training for entry-level
occupations. Moreover, apprentice able trades do not constitute the whole spectrum
of occupations. There are 169 apprentice able occupations in Canada, but no
more than 100
in anyone province. Only 44 trades belong to the Red Seal program, which allows
for inter-provincial mobility. The process of having skills designated as apprentice
able is
also too difficult and too complex.