Comparing Outcomes: Apprenticeship in Canada, the United States, and Australia (original) (raw)
Related papers
Returns to Apprenticeship: Analysis based on the 2006 Census
2012
We utilize the 2006 Census -- the first large-scale, representative Canadian data set to include information on apprenticeship certification -- to compare the returns from apprenticeships with those from other educational pathways (high school graduation, non-apprenticeship trades and community college). An apprenticeship premium prevails for males but a deficit is evident for females, with this pattern prevailing across the quantiles
Apprenticeship Training in European Countries. The Lessons for Canada
Relations industrielles, 2000
This paper investigates environmental conditions conducive to apprenticeship training; examines various government reactions in this field; discusses the problems and deficiencies of apprenticeship training in Canada, and analyzes the usefulness of European labour market measures to be employed in this country.
The Survival of Apprenticeship Training: A British, American, Australian Comparison
British Journal of Industrial Relations, 1994
This paper examines the development of apprenticeship training in three English-speaking countries where apprenticeship has fared very differently. It declined at an early date in the USA in most sectors of the economy; it survived intact in Britain well into the post-Second World War period; and it has survived relatively strongly in Australia up to the present day. The reasons for decline and survival are examined and an explanation is proferred in terms of the interaction between the institutional supports and the ability and need felt by employers to sustain the system.
Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training, 2013
Background: The number of registered apprentices in Canada more than doubled between 1995 and 2007, yet successful completion of apprenticeship programs increased by only about one-third as much. Uncovering the factors related to low completion rates is a necessary first step to ensuring that today's skilled labour is replaced in the future. Methods: This study utilizes a series of multinomial probit models and the 2007 National Apprenticeship Survey (NAS) to investigate the completion behaviour of individuals enrolled in apprenticeship programs. These behaviours include continuing, discontinuing (or quitting), and completing programs. The NAS contains detailed demographic information regarding respondents' backgrounds and the characteristics of apprenticeship programs. Results: Program completion is positively related to a variety of demographic characteristics, including being married and having completed at least a high school education prior to beginning an apprenticeship. Males and females have similar completion probabilities. Completion is negatively related to time in the apprenticeship program (beyond the normal program length) and the number of employers during training. Type of technical training and having a journeyperson always present enhance the probability of completion. The regional unemployment rate has little effect on whether an individual completes an apprenticeship program or not. There are also large provincial and trade group differences. Conclusions: Although this research has identified a number of factors correlated with apprenticeship completion, further research could address the benefits of completion such as wages and probability of employment. A more detailed examination of the variety of obstacles encountered by apprentices during training may also be useful in redesigning programs to enhance completion.
2013
For two decades, provincial governments in Canada have promoted high school apprenticeship programs to facilitate students’ transitions to skilled work and address concerns about labour shortages, yet little tracking of high school apprentices has occurred. This study addresses this gap by investigating the impact of high school apprenticeships on young people’s subsequent education experiences and employment outcomes. The study used a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to provide both aggregate data and in-depth information about the educational, in-school training, and workplace experiences of former youth apprentices who had been in the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) in Alberta and the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) in Ontario. The online survey was completed by 173 participants (105 in Alberta and 68 in Ontario) in 2009, and 111 in-depth interviews (56 from Alberta and 55 from Ontario) were conducted between 2009 and 2011. The study also uses other Canadian large-scale surveys (LFS and WALL) and Census data for purposes of comparison.
High school apprenticeship in Canada: exploring social mobility
2011
This article explores the pathways followed by former high school apprentices in Ontario and Alberta, Canada a few years after leaving school. The aim of most provincial high school apprenticeship programs is to provide an alternative pathway for youth who may not otherwise stay in high school to earn a diploma while gaining useful work skills which are in high demand. There is therefore a social mobility aim in programs. The main questions addressed in this paper are: To what extent does high school apprenticeship fulfill its goal of targeting youth who are 'at risk' of not completing high school? And under what conditions can such programs support upward social mobility for youth? Context Youth transitions from secondary education to working life have become a focus for policy makers in most OECD countries in recent decades. A study of transition systems across 14 countries (OECD, 2000) suggested that effective transition systems are characterized by well organized pathways that connect initial education with work and further study and widespread opportunities to combine workplace experience with education. They provide good information and guidance and tightly knit safety nets for those at risk. In Canada, most provinces support a range of secondary school initiatives intended to facilitate youth transitions particularly for non-college bound youth, the 'forgotten half' according to a 1988 US report by the William T. Grant Foundation. Provincial education departments have encouraged school authorities to more clearly articulate different career pathways for youth, making connections between curriculum and labour market destinations more transparent. One way to do this is though experiential learning opportunities, including cooperative education, work experience programs, internships, and high school apprenticeship programs (Taylor, 2007). High school apprenticeship programs allow students to work toward their high school diploma and apprenticeship certification at the same time. It is hoped that attracting younger apprentices will improve apprenticeship completion rates, which have been lower than for other post-secondary options (Sharpe, 2003) while also raising high school completion rates. The Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) allows students 16 years of age or older to earn credits toward their high school diploma while
2010
In this paper, we estimate the determinants of low (and slow) completion rates with a competing risk duration model using data from the National Apprenticeship Survey (NAS) 2007. This allows us to distinguish the impact age and duration dependence on the probability of dropping out. We find older apprentices are less likely to transit toward completion after age 28. We also find duration dependence to be positive, meaning transition probabilities to completion increase with apprenticeship duration. However, the positive effect dies out quickly after 10 years of apprenticeship.