Apprentice retention and completion focus of new study

The completion rates of Ontario’s apprentices remain a point of concern, prompting growing interest in programs to improve retention and completion. A new study from the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario examines the development, implementation and efficacy of the Apprentice Retention Program (ARP).

Project description

ARP was developed in a partnership with Western University, Fanshawe College, the local Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities’ (MTCU) Employment Ontario office, the Apprenticeship Network and the Elgin Middlesex Oxford Workplace Planning and Development Board. The program consisted of nine hands-on and two online workshops focusing on building life skills and resilience. Session topics included school and workplace learning, communication and employer expectations.

The study, The Apprentice Retention Program: Evaluation and Implications for Ontario, was conducted in the fall of 2012. A total of 26 registered apprentices taking their in-class training at Fanshawe College participated in the study – 11 of them in ARP and 15 of them only in interviews. Data were collected from the ARP participants before, during and after the activities, and included program evaluation exit cards. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with apprentices, former apprentices and employers in the skilled trades to identify what they thought to be the major issues facing apprentices.