Employer Engagement - Canadian Apprenticeship Forum

Webinar: Apprenticeship Stakeholders
Share Employer Engagement Best
Practices
February 24, 2015
www.caf-fca.org
Apprenticeship in Canada
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19% of skilled trades employers hire and train apprentices
Construction sector has highest level of participation (34%)
Of employers with journeypersons, 62% have apprentices
77% of apprentices are trained by employers with fewer than
100 employees
www.caf-fca.org
Employer Engagement Continuum
See apprentices as learners and integral
to business performance strategies
ENGAGED
Training is the focus
Hired apprentices in the past, may hire again
OPEN TO THE MESSAGE
Willing to hire an apprentice, but need
information and practical advice
See apprentices as cost
NOT ENGAGED
Do not have a culture of learning at
the workplace
www.caf-fca.org
Why Employers Train
• Employers who train apprentices identify a business need:
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HR strategy for recruiting next-generation workforce
“Homegrown” journeypersons are more productive and a better fit
Journeypersons benefit – help with complex tasks, more engaged
Improved health & safety record
Certified workers unavailable in the labour market
Compulsory trades
www.caf-fca.org
Why Employers Don’t Train
• Non-participating employers identify reasons they don’t train
apprentices:
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Not enough continuous work
Poaching
Cannot offer full scope of trade
Skills gaps of apprentices
Costs too much; takes too much time
www.caf-fca.org
Lack of Employer Awareness
• Employers lack awareness about the supports available
• 50 per cent of employers were aware of financial supports
• Only 25 per cent of employers were aware of other
apprenticeship-related resources
www.caf-fca.org
Community Insights
• Apprenticeship community emphasizes the importance of engaging
non-participating employers. Ideas include:
o Supports that recognize the unique challenges of small business
o Approaches to share apprentices and training responsibilities, with
administrative supports
o Consider apprenticeship as a part of government procurement
o Public sector efforts to train (“lead the way”)
www.caf-fca.org
Five Reasons to Hire & Train an Apprentice
1. There’s a solid business case, regardless of size of business
or location
2. Training to the unique needs of a business
3. Demographics / Knowledge-transfer
4. Homegrown journeypersons are more productive, make fewer
mistakes, have better health & safety records
5. Cost effective – net return by the 2nd year
www.caf-fca.org
Supports for Employers at Every Stage
Awareness
• Marketing
campaigns
• Business case
workshops
• Collective
bargaining
Recruitment
Training
• Financial
incentives
• Matching
services
• Joint committees
• Foundational
programs
• Employer
consortia
• Wage subsidies
• Train the trainer
HR toolkits &
training plans
Retention
• Completion
bonuses
www.caf-fca.org
Examples: Participating Employers
Why Train?
“By hiring apprentices, we can train their customer relationship skills and enlighten
them to work with safety and integrity while on and off the job”
Ideas for Supports:
“Compensation for time spent teaching, in-house training and relations with other
personnel”
Get More Employers Involved:
“Encourage employers to visit training centres and encourage them to speak to
students as a group”
www.caf-fca.org
Examples: Encouraging Employers
• “Involving employers in skills training through the training
centre and Local Apprenticeship Committees in union”
• “At the school board level, it’s mostly co-op teachers
making the connection with employers”
• “Apprenticeship Advisors have many ways of encouraging
employers to participate in apprenticeship training”
www.caf-fca.org
Upcoming Events
February 26 Atlantic Roundtable: Engaging Employers in
Apprenticeship Training, St. John’s, NL
March 25
Webinar: Learn about the Canada Apprentice
Loan
April 22
Webinar: How Employers Value Certification in
Skilled Trades Labour Force
Details about CAF-FCA events and webinars: caf-fca.org
www.caf-fca.org