The Benefits of Apprenticeship Training

There is no question that apprenticeships lead to well-paying jobs and a great quality of life. There’s nothing more reassuring that knowing that you have a skill and that it is portable anywhere in Canada.

The IAM strongly believes in robust and creative apprenticeship programs for the skilled trades in Canada. We started our representing skilled workers in Canada in 1890 and now represent tens of thousands of members in hundreds of trades.

These are jobs that require well-trained apprentices, particularly in aerospace, the automotive industry and manufacturing. We have lobbied politically, as well as establishing partnerships with industry leaders. We believe that apprenticeship programs lead not only to well-paying permanent jobs, but also to a more secure future for young Canadians – and for our economy.

It’s increasingly difficult for Canadians to make a good living. According to a Statistics Canada report released in September 2019, more and more workers hold low-paying jobs; in fact, “between 1998 and 2018, the proportion of employees earning minimum wage grew from 5.2% to 10.4%, with most of that growth occurring between 2017 and 2018.”

The skilled trades present at least part of the solution, offering careers that combine high demand and high pay, says Shaun Thorsen, chief executive officer of Skills Canada. “I think there’s still the belief that people aren’t paid that well,” he says. But that’s just not true. Some skilled tradespeople can easily earn more than $100,000 annually, especially if they take on jobs with overtime pay.

Stacy Lee Kong (link to article) 

• The benefit of apprenticeship training increases in each year over the course of the apprenticeship period.
• The cost in terms of journeyperson time declines through each year of the apprenticeship.
• Employers who hire apprentices see improvements in health and safety performance, productivity, as well as, a reduction in mistakes and most importantly, apprenticeship training is the best way of preparing for the future by avoiding a skills shortage.
• 61% of Canadian employers see in-house trained apprentices as more productive than external hires
• The benefit of training an apprentice exceeds the costs by the end of the second year of the apprenticeship; for some employers, the costs of training are recovered after the first year.
• The net benefit of training an apprentice ranges from $39,524.00 to $245,264.00
• For some skilled trades, the revenue generated by an apprentice exceeds the total training cost.
• Businesses of all sizes show a return on investment for apprenticeship training
• The average net benefit for an apprentice is $ 178,995.

If you or anyone you know is interested in apprenticeship training, please visit the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum website for information on their 2020 National Apprenticeship Conference being held in Calgary May 24-26, 2020. https://caf-fca.org/