Apprentices report a number of common barriers to block-release training, including financial hardship, inaccessibility in rural and remote locations, inconvenient scheduling and less frequent training opportunities in low-volume trades. Meanwhile, training providers are making big strides when it comes to increasing flexibility in apprenticeship technical training by introducing options beyond block release.
The federal government is currently funding ten pilot projects as part of its Flexibility and Innovation in Apprenticeship Technical Training initiative. These pilots are experimenting with online learning, upfront training, mobile labs and simulator training. As part of its efforts to broaden discussion on this topic, CAF-FCA invites practitioners, jurisdictional apprenticeship authorities, researchers and other stakeholders to submit articles for an upcoming issue of the Canadian Apprenticeship Journal.
Articles will be accepted until 12:00pm EDT on April 28, 2017. Research articles should be no longer than 12 pages or 5,000 words, with shorter pieces on specific programs or initiatives (800 to 2,000 words) also welcome. Articles may be written in English or French, and those chosen will be published in the language of submission. Please submit article in Microsoft Word format to: emily@caf-fca.org.
Themes of this issue will include:
- Alternate delivery solutions that work for apprentice learners
- Examples of initiatives from across sectors and jurisdictions
- Impact of alternate delivery on completion, grades and learner outcomes
- Breaking down barriers for rural/Northern apprentices and/or under-represented groups
- Challenges and opportunities alternate delivery poses for training providers and apprentices
