Each potential trainee must pass a functional level (academic) test for the level established as a prerequisite for the skill program involved. Simple completion of that grade level in a provincial educational system will not suffice. If the trainee requires upgrading she is referred to a BTSD (Basic Training for Skills Development) program. These are of varying duration. BTSD II covers Grades 7 and 8 and is planned to take 36 weeks. BTSD III covers Grades 9 and 10 and is planned to take 32 weeks. ^l As indicated in the 1977 policy review, Manpower plans to phase out BTSD programs above and below these levels. ² Since women's training programs often require fairly high educational levels and since women who have been out of school or the labour force for progressively longer periods of time tend to test out at progressively lower functional levels, the end result is that women may find they require more than 52 weeks of academic upgrading to reach the functional level required.

The same difficulty relates to the 52 week limit for occupational training. While regular programs are normally no longer than 52 weeks, there are several occupations which are traditional for women and which require 2 or 3 years of training, but are not covered by CMTP programs. For example, Early Childhood Education worker requires 1 year beyond a university degree; Child Care worker requires 2 to 3 years beyond Grade 12; Registered Nurse requires 2 years beyond Grade l2, and so on.³

In the traditional male occupations (i.e. non-traditional for women), there is a wider variety of CMTP programs which can be completed within the 52 week limit. But since women are not normally hired in these areas, they are not often referred for these training programs.

The end result of all these rules is that a woman who applies for occupational assistance with a CMC and who might benefit from occupational training may not receive much support, either financial, emotional or social, if:

• she doesn't already have some recognizable skill;

• she cannot prove through a functional level test that she is capable of performing academically at an acceptable level;

• she doesn't have some experience as a previous member of the labour force;

• she wants training in an occupational area requiring more than 52 weeks of course work.

^1. Approved list of programs (IT-78-1 Revised) as published by the Ontario Industrial Training Branch, CEIC.

^2. CEIC, "The Canada Manpower Training Program: A policy review, 1977" (Ottawa: CEIC, 1977), p. 15

^3. Ontario Ministry of Labour, Women's Bureau, Career Selector (Revised March, 1978). (Toronto: Ontario Ministry of Labour, 1978).