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According to the official policy of CEIC:
"Trainees referred to Institutional Training courses do not pay
tuition. Under the Federal-Provincial Training Agreements the cost of books,
tools, and training aids may be included in course costs paid by CEIC.
Full-time trainees can also receive allowances for dependant
care and for commuting expenses for a distance exceeding 24 kms.
Under the Industrial Training, the employer is reimbursed for
books, expendable tools and other instructional aids. Trainees receive wages
for which the employer is partly reimbursed by CEIC. In addition, trainees may
be reimbursed for part of their travelling and living expenses." *
Essentially, tuition, books, transport, child care, and tool
expenses can be covered for full-time students, but not for part-time students.
The Saskatchewan CEIC response to the questionnaire stated that
there are funds available for part-time students for education related costs
such as tuition, books, transportation and child care. This funding is
available on a loan basis and for part-time students repayment must be started
30 days after the loan is negotiated, whereas full-time students start
repayment 6 months after the end of their programs.
- IS CEIC FUNDING BRIDGING PROGRAMS? E.G., BTSD, ESL,
PRE-TRADES. DO YOU PROVIDE FUNDS FOR FURTHER TRAINING TO GRADUATES OF THESE
PROGRAMS?
According to the Director General of Training:
"Under Institutional Training. CEIC purchases BTSD, occupational orientation
courses, Job Readiness Training, and language training. The latter is
restricted to immigrants, interprovincial migrants and Natives unable to find
employment because of lack of fluency in one of the official languages.
Graduates of these courses may be referred to further skills courses.
There are some initiatives to link more closely BTSD courses and skills
courses. Computer literacy, mathematics and science modules are being developed
to meet specific needs of women.
Many trainees follow a progression
through various programs. For example, a person could enroll in a classroom
course on Introduction to Non-Traditional Occupations, go into a skills course,
and upon completion, be hired through an industrial training contract with an
employer under WINTO!
Despite this policy regarding bridging programs,
there has been some concern expressed that both the BTSD and JRT components of
the Institutional Training program showed a decline in enrolment from 1981-82
to 1982-83. This decline has been ascribed to the National Training Act's shift
towards job-related skill training and away from bridging courses and career
exploration courses.
Although women generally do not enter the National
Training Program with less education than men, they generally tend to lack in
those areas of expertise most needed to get a non-traditional job; e.g., maths
and science credits for computer technology, or practical experience with
simple mechanics, tools, etc. Thus there is a need for bridging programs for
women, particularly in the areas of pre-trades and pre-tech.
Another
reason suggested for a decline in the numbers of female trainees is the
de-emphasis of training for certain traditional women's jobs - business
education, bartending, waitress training, retail selling - those courses often
called "public skills" are being cancelled or severely curtailed in several
provinces due to poor job prospects in these occupations.
Since each
province has a separate training agreement with Ottawa, the number and types of
bridging programs available also varies from province to province. In British
Columbia, for example, it has been reported that Employment
Preparation/Bridging programs specifically designed for women have been
cancelled because of a new ruling in B.C. that newly funded programs need large
numbers of CEIC purchases before they are approved by the B.C. Ministry of
Education.
*See full text of letter from L. Bourgault in
Appendix C. |