Apprenticeships lead to full-time work: StatsCan

Program completion also results in higher wages

Apprenticeships help tradespeople find full-time jobs, according to a new Statistics Canada study.

The 2007 National Apprenticeship Survey found 88 per cent of apprentices across Canada who completed their program were employed, compared with 82 per cent of those who did not finish.

Those who completed their programs were also more likely to have full-time jobs (80 per cent compared to 76 per cent) and receive substantially higher wages ($27 an hour compared to $20 an hour).

Alberta is the only province where completing the apprenticeship program didn't affect whether or not someone found a permanent job (77 per cent for both completers and discontinuers).

The difference between completers and discontinuers was most significant in Ontario, where 91 per cent of those who completed their apprenticeship program were employed compared with 82 per cent of those who didn't finish.

The survey also found 64 per cent of those who had discontinued an apprenticeship program as of 2004 had returned to the program by 2007.

Women were more likely than men to return to their apprenticeship program than men. The survey found more than one-third (38 per cent) of women who had dropped out returned to their programs by 2007 compared to 24 per cent of men.

There were many reasons apprentices left their programs, with a lack of work or insufficient income as an apprentice being the most common reason, cited by 16 per cent of discontinuers. About 10 per cent left the program because they received a better job offer and eight per cent stopped because they disliked the work or the working conditions.

Another eight per cent left the program because they wanted to change jobs or careers or lost interest and four per cent discontinued their studies as a result of employer, company or union issues.

Nearly one-third (30 per cent) of discontinuers reported a diverse range of other reasons for not completing the program.

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