FIGURE 2.10

Participation rates by major industrial group

Percentage of the employed population participating in job-related training by major industrial group, Canada, 1991, 1993 and 1997.

Workers in the financial sector and the public and private services sectors have historically had higher training rates than other industrial groups.

Preliminary results suggest that the mix of occupations within sectors likely influences the participation rates by industry. This could explain why the financial sector, with a preponderance of white-collar workers, has higher participation rates, and the primary sector, with a large proportion of blue-collar workers, has remained at a stable, although quite low, level. For certain sectors the decline in participation may mirror the introduction of new information technologies in the early 1990s and the subsequent stabilization of the demand for training related to such technologies within the sector. Training participation by industrial sectors is a promising area for future research.

2.3.3 Employer Support of Training

A major issue in job-related education and training is the role of the employer.11 Since 1991, participation rates in employer-sponsored training have remained constant. This has been true for all types of training sponsored by the employer including job-related training. A concern is that employer’s support is not evenly provided—certain groups receive more support than others. As mentioned previously in this chapter, older workers receive less employer support than younger workers. However, employed men and women now receive similar rates of employersponsored training.

11. Kapsalis (1996) examines the roles of employers and employees in determining training demand and supply.