In Canada, by contrast, apprenticeships are generally limited to the skilled trades—carpenters, electricians, pipefitters and the like—and attract a much older crowd with “significant” labour market experience, according to a 2011 Statistics Canada study. Only about half of the more than 400,000 registered apprentices will actually complete their programs, with studies attributing the low success rate to everything from the costs associated with the in-class training (when apprentices aren’t being paid) to concerns about job prospects when they’re done. Vocational training for other jobs is often left to colleges, who may design curricula with particular employers or industries in mind. Work experience generally comes in the form of work-placement or co-op programs.
Sarah Watts-Rynard, the executive director of the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum, says a key difference between the German and North American post-secondary systems is the degree to which employers are involved. “In Germany, you have a culture where employers feel it’s not only their responsibility to train, but their right,” she says. “The education system is designed to train workers to meet employers’ needs.”
Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at Should Canada import Germany’s “dual system” training? – – Maclean’s On Campus.
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