In-school guidance counsellors are rated as relatively effective at providing advice to students on their course selection (according to 70% of students), but they seem less helpful with respect to education and career planning (fewer than 60% of students find counsellors helpful) (Canadian Youth Foundation, Canada's Youth: Ready for Today, Ministry of State for Youth and Fitness and Amateur Sport, Ottawa, 1988).

The qualitative research done in preparation for the School Leavers Survey (reported in chapter 2) showed that many school leavers did not discuss dropping out with anyone at school. Most school leavers reported that they received little support for remaining in school. They viewed the guidance counsellor as a person to consult regarding course schedules or timetables, not as advisors interested in the student's school problems or decisions. The experts interviewed mentioned the high ratio of students to counsellors, which compounds the problem. They also reported that many counsellors have not received training to deal with the complexity of problems presented by today's students.

There is evidence that counsellors in schools may not provide adequate information on careers in the trades, but reinforce the bias toward the academic stream. According to the most recent National Apprenticeship Survey, only 7% of apprentices were encouraged to register in an apprenticeship program by guidance counsellors or teachers. The main sources of useful information for apprentices were employers and friends and relatives.

The recent Career and Employment Counselling Study, commissioned by the CLFDB (1994), is based on a survey of counsellors. It also provides some information on the overall inadequacy of counselling in meeting the need:

• Most secondary school counsellors believe that their service is "not as good as it could be."
• Some 21 % of secondary school counsellors turned clients away because of their mandate, the proportion was higher among college counsellors (45%), and dramatic among community counsellors and CEC counsellors (74 and 72%, respectively); this indicates that many people looking for counselling are not finding it in the existing system.