As the labour market continues to evolve it is more important than ever to support Canadians looking to develop their skills.
That’s why CICan partnered with the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF) and member colleges and institutes to develop and deliver the Unlocking Inclusive Pre-Apprenticeship Pathways Program. The program helps those facing barriers to education, including women, Indigenous peoples, newcomers, and persons with disabilities, access tailored pre-apprenticeship training designed to support skills development, applied learning opportunities and the pursuit of a fulfilling career.
The following resources, reports, and tools are the results of this two-and-a-half-year pan-Canadian initiative!
Use and share these tools within your networks.
Pre-Apprenticeship Promising Practices Report
This report shares current promising practices that support the participation of women, Indigenous peoples, newcomers and people with disabilities in Pre-Apprenticeship programs. Information presented in this report was captured through responses to a Diversity and Inclusion Tool. Highlights include promoting diversity in program development and delivery as well as adapting curriculum for pre-trade programs and the offering of services and programs including wrap around supports to best accommodate target populations in completing a pre-trade program.
Pre-Apprenticeship Environmental Scan
Conducted by CICan and the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF-FCA), this environmental scan presents key findings from the most current pre-trade program offerings by Canadian colleges and institutes (up to 2019) and examines best practices to address barriers that under-represented goups face in pre-apprenticeship programs. Data was collected though secondary source research, a survey and key informant interviews with Deans, Associate Deans, Department Heads, Chairs and trades instructors. The results from the environmental scan confirmed the necessity of the Inclusive Pre-Apprenticeship Pathways program and led to the next stage of developing the Diversity & Inclusion tool.
Pre-Apprenticeship Program Inventory
This inventory is a working document based on available content from 2020 that provides an overview of the breadth of pre-apprenticeship programs offered by colleges and institutes across Canada. It highlights information on programs that target under-represented groups (e.g., Indigenous peoples, women, newcomers, youth and persons with disabilities) leading to a range of credentials including diploma and certificate programs. Program offerings are subject to change based on available funding, economic conditions and local demand.
Diversity & Inclusion Tool
The Diversity and Inclusion Tool was developed by CICan member colleges and institutes and is used to evaluate inclusion activities and capture promising practices in pre-apprenticeship programs within the Inclusive Pre-Apprenticeship Pathways Project. The Tool examines a program at the Pre-Program Delivery, Program Delivery and Post-Program Delivery stages and offers best practices to help make Pre-Apprenticeship programs more inclusive to under-represented groups.
CICan-CAF Webinar Presentation: Key findings
On February 23, 2022, CICan and CAF conducted a webinar on the value of designing more inclusive pre-apprenticeship programs to prepare under-represented groups for further training and careers in the skilled trades. The webinar included panelists from British Columbia Institute of Technology, Canadore College and an employer from the construction industry in the Yukon who shared insights and lessons learned from their experience in the Inclusive Pre-Apprenticeship Pathways Program.
Final Project Report
The final project report summarizes key results and outcomes across three distinct project phases for segment 1 of the project from September 2019 to March 2022: 1) Environmental scan, 2) Project design and tool development and 3) Project implementation and outcome evaluation. Information about the set-up of these programs can serve as a blueprint for other colleges seeking to make pre-apprenticeship programming more accessible for people from equity-seeking groups. Promising practices learned lessons and recommendations for scalability and replicability are described.
CICan Conference Presentation (Josh Lamont, NBCC)
This workshop shares project results from the Pathways to Pre-Apprenticeship, Skills Compass and ImpAct Projects and offers perspectives on program development and delivery that help reduce barriers to education and training for vulnerable groups across Canada. Panelists from New Brunswick Community College, Cégep du Vieux-Montréal, and Douglas College discuss promising practices, lessons learned, and offer practical tools to guide CICan member institutions.