Essential Skills for Ontario’s Trades

December 30, 2018

This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario.

Report prepared by:

Ciara Bracken-Roche, PhD

Scott Trevor Milford, PhD

Introduction 

Manufacturing in Renfrew and Lanark Counties presents unique opportunities and challenges for stakeholders: those in the workforce (including employees, job seekers, and apprentices), employers, and workforce development professionals. The “Career Access to the Trades” program is an attempt to address these challenges and opportunities by a group of partner agencies. 

On the one hand, manufacturing is an area of strength in the region, with estimates that it makes up 8% of the regional workforce, and consists of an ecosystem where over two-thirds of employers have operated in the region for over 20 years. This suggests a significant degree of stability in what is often an unstable sector of the North American labour market; further, it indicates an area of potential growth, given the aging regional workforce and a corollary number of retirements. At the same time, employers have often been reluctant to capitalize on such potential, given that the time and effort it takes to fill positions with adequately skilled candidates bears a direct impact on their productivity (their ability to turn around contracts on time and with quality). Indeed, with over 90% of manufacturers in the region being SMEs, unfilled openings present significant obstacles to aspects of their operations (small- and medium-sized enterprises, generally defined as having fewer than 250 employees; in Renfrew and Lanark, 50% of the sector consists of enterprises features fewer than 50 employees). Growing manufacturing is a highly risky move, in other words; indeed, it is often one employers and potential job seekers are unwilling or unable to gamble on. 

As The Future of Manufacturing report (2017; published by the Labour Market Group of Renfrew and Lanark Counties) argues, the manufacturing sector in the region is poised at the present to rebound from the economic downturn of a decade ago. The challenge, they suggest, is that “manufacturers are reporting difficulty attracting journeymen and apprentices for trades positions such as electrician, millwright, and stationary engineer.” In part this is related to the generally poor perception many in the province hold of careers in skilled trades. However, it is also in part related to the uncertainty around the labour force in the region. While many positions appear to be opening up due to retirement, a younger generation of skilled tradespersons is not waiting in the wings; neither have employers been able to capture the interest of a mobile group of potential candidates in any sizeable form. The solution to this challenge is unclear and likely multifaceted. However, the development of a pipeline of talent–and an employer base eager to recognize and support the development of such talent–seems plausible; certainly the Labour Market Group’s report represents a strong interest in such development. Strategies rooted in the contextualization of learning and development opportunities may offer unique approaches to improve this profile and support this process, since contextualization offers hands-on and direct experiences to learners and job seekers that can help to demystify what jobs and careers in skilled trades might look like. 

Responding to these challenges in the local market the Rideau-Ottawa Valley Literacy Network (ROVLN) piloted a training program called the Essential Skills for Ontario’s Trades or the “Career Access to the Trades” program in order to see how effective job seekers can be trained and put into career paths in the manufacturing through a streamlined program – more details on this are outlined below in the Program Summary and History. The findings from the literature review that preceded the creation of this program 

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highlighted the need for OCWI and its partners to design and implement research projects that build on and contribute to existing knowledge on the design and delivery of effective contextualized essential skills programs. This is especially important in areas like Renfrew and Lanark Counties where there is a gap in the market between employer labour-needs and job seekers, as well as between skilled labour jobs and unskilled workers in need of employment.    The theory behind this training program is that learner confidence, persistence, and skills will increase when basic skills instruction is relevant to learners’ practical employment goals and when learners can apply what they learn. By integrating essential skills training with occupation-specific training, these types of models help prepare learners to access high-quality labour market opportunities and succeed in the workplace. As such, program partners have created a skills program that aims to give clients job opportunities moving forward, the major components in the program include: contextualized essential skills learning, accreditation, trades exploration, career pathway support, industry input, and a job trial. This report includes a program summary and history, an overview of the research objectives and methodology for this program, as well as a summary of the program evaluation results.  

Program Summary and History  Overview  The Essential Skills for Ontario’s Trades pilot project, also known as the “Career Access to the Trades” training program, is operated by the Rideau-Ottawa Valley Literacy Network (ROVLN). ROVLN is a part of the Employment Ontario employment and training network, a provincial government program dedicated to connecting workers with employers (Government of Ontario 2018). ROVLN provides programming, research and public education to support adult literacy and learning services in Ottawa and the Ottawa Valley, including the counties of Renfrew, Lanark and Prescott-Russell. ROVLN provides a range of services, among them:    · information and referral services · professional development for literacy instructors · resource development · community service planning, and · outreach    The 8-week Career Access to the Trades training program runs out of local adult learning classrooms from Monday-Friday for six hours per day. It responds to challenges faced by job seekers and employers in the trades and manufacturing industries in Renfrew and Lanark Counties in Eastern Ontario. There are more than 150 designated trades in Canada, which typically fall under four sectors that require a diverse range of skills, knowledge and training: construction, industrial, transportation, and service trades. The manufacturing industry contains different sectors that are involved in the production of industrial and consumer goods, as well as in engineering and industrial design.    

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Although a range of employers in the trades and many large and small manufacturers are based in Renfrew and Lanark Counties, they have a higher proportion of older employees than those in other areas in Ontario. More than 10% of businesses in Renfrew and Lanark expect the size of their workforces to decrease due to retirements, with 25% of this decrease expected to occur specifically in the trades. More than 43% of businesses in Renfrew and Lanark have struggled to fill vacancies since 2016, with low apprenticeship completion rates and many employers having difficulty finding skilled workers. Nearly 20% of employers in these counties describe a general lack of job applicants; a similar number state that applicants do not possess necessary qualifications for jobs in trades and manufacturing. More than 14% of employers state that applicants do not meet basic skill requirements for jobs in these sectors. Approximately 20% of Lanark and Renfrew residents have not graduated from secondary school, and less than 5% hold a trade certificate or diploma. (LNG Employer One Survey 2016-2017).    The goal of the Career Access to the Trades program is to bring greater stability to the labour force in trades and manufacturing in Renfrew and Lanark. This program strives to create a pipeline of committed and skilled people with basic communication, numeracy, digital and literacy skills required for further training and to fill vacant jobs in trades and manufacturing in the region. With a more stable and more highly trained workforce, employers in trades and manufacturing in Renfrew and Lanark Counties hope to be better able to accept contracts and to expand to meet demand across Eastern Ontario. The Essential Skills for Ontario’s Trades project is funded in part by OCWI.  Curriculum  The curriculum of the Career Access to the Trades training program is designed to prepare unemployed and under-employed clients with:    · the skills needed for a career in the trades · a cost-free opportunity to explore an interest in trades · a direct pathway into a job, and/or · career pathways to academic upgrading, an apprenticeship, or a certificate/diploma program.    This program involves six components:    1. Contextualized essential skills: clients learn foundational digital, communication, numeracy, literacy and soft skills, which are taught in the classroom. Developed by Literacy Link East Ontario, this curriculum is designed to be combined with hands-on experiential learning, where clients can apply foundational skills in practice.    2. Credentials: clients complete various certifications of use to jobs in trades and manufacturing, including (but not limited to) Health and Safety, First Aid, WHMIS, Fall Protection, and soft skills certification.    3. Trades exploration: clients conduct labour market and online research, information interviews, and consult online job postings in one trade of their choice. This research culminates in an in-class presentation, 

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and is complemented by guest speakers from the local trades and manufacturing sectors, demonstrations by industry professionals, and a visit to the Ottawa Tool Lending Library.    4. Career pathway support: the instructors and the project coordinators provide individual and in-class guidance to assist clients in making choices about pathways into careers in the trades. This includes assistance with direct employment, apprenticeships, academic upgrading, or entry into a certificate or diploma program.    5. Industry input: during employer advisory group sessions, local employers highlight soft skills that are required for successful career paths into trades and manufacturing, which are blended into the classroom curriculum or offered as stand-alone workshops. These employer advisory group sessions ensure that local needs in trades and manufacturing are being met by the curriculum that is developed.    6. Job trial: interested clients are offered a job trial in their target trades career after completion of the Career Access to the Trades training program. Local employers seeking to fill permanent vacancies have access to financial grants to help offset training and orientation costs. Clients and emplyers who take part in job trials are supported by Employment Services job developers.  Locations  The Career Access to the Trades training program runs in four locations throughout Lanark and Renfrew Counties. Classes are operated out of college campuses, adult learning training centres, and continuing adult education facilities. Classes were designed to accommodate up to 15 learners. Locations and final class sizes include:    1. Pembroke (Renfrew County, population 13,882): 6 learners    2. Smiths Falls (Lanark County, population 8,780): 7 learners    3. Arnprior (Renfrew County, population 8,795): 3 learners    4. Eganville (Renfrew County, population 1,022): 4 learners  Project Management  The Career Access to the Trades training program is overseen by a lead project coordinator at the Rideau-Ottawa Valley Literacy Network. This coordinator is located in Ottawa, and is responsible for program administration and logistical support across all four of the program’s sites. The coordinator’s duties include:    · managing the project’s financial administration, including developing and administering budgets, overseeing payroll, and issuing reimbursements for expense claims 

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· arranging job trials · scheduling guest speakers · organizing class excursions, demonstrations and field trips · networking and maintaining ties with local employers and local employment service providers · managing the creation and implementation of program curriculum · arranging any required travel, accommodations and catering · serving as the key point of contact between various stakeholders and representatives of the project · providing guidance to learners about pathways into careers in the trades    The lead project coordinator is supported by a Renfrew County coordinator. Located in Pembroke, this coordinator works with The Labour Market Group of Renfrew and Lanark. This secondary coordinator serves as the project’s labour market information expert and community partner lead, providing administrative and logistical support for local community partners throughout Lanark and Renfrew Counties. While the lead project coordinator is based in Ottawa, the Renfrew County Coordinator is located in the Ottawa Valley and is responsible for on-the-ground support across the four program sites.    A coalition of literacy and basic skills personnel, employment services providers, employers, and affiliated service providers also play a role in administration of the Career Access to the Trades training program. Employment services play a key role in identifying unemployed clients who have an interest in working in the trades but who lack essential skills needed for consideration by employers. Employment services have existing relationships with local employers. They are able to leverage these relationships to adapt curriculum, recruit guest speakers, arrange workplace tours and short-term work trials, and ultimately hire clients to fill skilled labour shortages. Literacy and basic skills trainers provide support for clients’ pathways to employment in the trades.    In addition to the lead project coordinator and Renfrew County coordinator, the core project team for the Career Access to the Trades training program includes ten representatives from:    · Adult Learning and Training Centre of Lanark County: This organization is a non-profit literacy and basic skills centre funded by the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development and the United Way of Lanark County. The ALTC offers workshops, small group training, and one-on-one tutoring to help learners upgrade reading, writing and math skills; prepare for entry-level work in various fields; develop soft skills; and learn cash register training and computer basics, among other services.    · Algonquin College (Academic Upgrading Program): This program assists those who have been out of school for many years or those who have not completed high school and are interested in attending a college program. The Algonquin College Academic Upgrading Program offers courses in English and communications, computer skills, mathematics, biology, chemistry, and college and work preparation success strategies.    · Algonquin College (Employment Services): This centre helps Algonquin College students and graduates find employment. Partnered with various community employment services, Algonquin College Employment Services offers job search assistance, resume and cover letter reviews, interview preparation, job search strategies, networking tips, networking events, career fairs, and job posting boards. 

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   · ontrac Employment Resource Services: This organization provides free employment assistance to job-seekers in Smiths Falls, Arnprior and Renfrew. ontrac offers computers with Internet access, fax machines, career search resources, job boards, community resources, employment assistance and support, and one-on-one career coaching services. ontrac also works alongside government and community agencies to provide local employers with job matching, placements, and employment/training incentives.      · The Renfrew Industrial Commission: This organization helps local industries in Renfrew work together with local partners, bringing together business and industrial leaders to sustain Renfrew’s industry and local economy. The Renfrew Industrial Commission manages an Innovation Centre in Renfrew, and provides funding to assist various local industrial projects that show promise to better Renfrew and the surrounding area.    · The Renfrew County District School Board (Literacy and Basic Skills Program): This program offers continuing education to help mature students in Renfrew prepare for new careers and achieve educational goals such as earning their Ontario Secondary School Diplomas or improving math or English skills. Students are able to upgrade their skills via the RCDSB’s adult literacy, English as a second language, e-learning, or independent learning programs.    · Training and Learning Centre of Renfrew County: This organization is a non-profit literacy and basic skills centre funded by the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development. The Training and Learning Centre assists adults in Renfrew County with finding jobs, becoming adaptable employees, gaining confidence to keep up with work-related demands, and learning computer, literacy, numeracy and soft skills.    · The Upper Canada District School Board (TR Leger, Literacy and Basic Skills): This program, based out of the Upper Canada District School Board, offers literacy and basic skills training to Ontario residents with reading, writing and math skills below Grade 12 of the Ontario Curriculum. It focuses on numeracy, digital, communication, and interpersonal skills. It helps to prepare learners for employment, apprenticeship, secondary school credit, and academic upgrading to post-secondary education.    Each individual site in Pembroke, Smiths Falls, Arnprior and Eganville is linked with one or more central educational or employment service providers from these organizations. Classes, led by one instructor per site, are held at these training organizations’ locations. These organizations also provide support to connect learners with local employers, employment opportunities, educational opportunities (for instance, the completion of high school credits or pathways into college programs), and opportunities for further specialized training in trades and manufacturing. Organizations linked with each site include:      · Pembroke: - Algonquin College (Academic Upgrading Program)    - Algonquin College (Employment Support Centre)    - Renfrew County District School Board Literacy and Basic Skills Program    

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   · Smiths Falls: - Algonquin College (Academic Upgrading Program)    - Adult Learning and Training Centre    - ontrac Employment Resource Services    - The Upper Canada District School Board (TR Leger, Literacy and Basic Skills)    · Arnprior - ontrac Employment Resource Services    - Renfrew County District School Board Literacy and Basic Skills Program    · Eganville - Training and Learning Centre of Renfrew County 

Program Development and Delivery (January – June 2018)  The core team of 12 program coordinators and service organization representatives met several times as a steering group between January and March 2018. The goal of this initial planning phase was to conduct outreach to employers, disseminate information about the program, recruit employers to serve on a program advisory group, and to prepare the program for launch. This planning phased involved:    · reviewing and discussing the implementation of the Career Access to the Trades training program · communicating project details to local Business Improvement Areas, Chambers of Commerce, and other employer groups · assembling a focus group of employers to contribute to curriculum, engage guest speakers, and arrange job-site tours and demonstrations · creating an educator advisory focus group of high school guidance counsellors to gather information on pathways into the trades from high school · creating social media marketing, newspaper advertisements, and electronic marketing materials · disseminating marketing materials to high schools, clubs, employment service providers, and literacy and basic skills providers · beginning recruitment of clients (with a goal of 10-15 clients per location) · developing and delivering information sessions on literacy and basic skills training, employer incentives, and changes to the Apprenticeship Tax Credit · confirming all guest speakers, site tours, and credential training, and · identifying and hiring course instructors for each location    

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Once instructors were hired, the four instructors were provided with four weeks to develop the blended curriculum for the training program. One instructor took the lead on each core curricular component, which included numeracy, English, soft skills, and specialized knowledge of trades and manufacturing.    Over the course of the following three months (April-May, 2018 for Arnprior and Eganville and May-June, 2018 for Pembroke and Smiths Falls), the Career Access to the Trades training program was delivered at each of the four sites. Delivery of the curriculum was designed to include presentations from trades and manufacturing employers, site visits to trades and manufacturing enterprises, on-site demonstrations of trades-related skills and knowledge, training for certifications and credentials, guest speakers from those working in trades and manufacturing.    During the training program, it was planned that clients would conduct individual projects on trades of individual interest, carry out labour market research, conduct information interviews and perform online job research. Instructors and project coordinators were expected to liaise with clients to support next steps and pathways to employment for each client, including potential registration as an apprentice, academic upgrading, or registration in diploma or certificate programs. Upon completion of the training program, clients would be provided with work boots, eye wear, and basic tool boxes.  Following successful completion of the Career Access to the Trades training program, program coordinators and employment services job developers were expected to negotiate placements with local employers in corresponding trades. Clients were expected to be provided with job placements in companies of personal interest that aligned with their skill level and would result in their addition to payroll, presumably in entry-level positions. The duration of job trails was expected to be negotiated on an individual basis according to each client’s ultimate career decision (for example, employment, apprenticeship, or academic upgrading). Leveraging Employment Ontario Employer Incentives, it was planned that employers taking part in these job trials would be offered financial support to offset the cost of training new employees. 

Research Objectives  There is a gap between the skills job-seekers possess and the skills-based jobs that are available in Renfrew and Lanark Counties. As such, this project aims to create a training to help address the needs of both the manufacturing sector and the job-seekers in the region. Earlier research identified soft skills among the areas that need to be addressed in addition to trade-specific knowledge, and so this program aims to address skills in an holistic way. Two of the pragmatic questions that we aim to assess following our program evaluation are: 1) Do jobseekers experience gains in skills? Do they find and keep employment? Are they satisfied with the training? Are they satisfied with their jobs? And 2) Do employers think participants are well-prepared? Do they retain program participants? These smaller questions inform our larger research question as outlined here: How will a collaboration of employers and community partners in Renfrew and Lanark result in an enhanced training program focused on skilled and technical trades knowledge and expertise through a combination of in class skills and experiential learning and technical training that will help create a pipeline of ready-to-work, skilled individuals to meet labour market shortages?    

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Program Assessment & Methodology  The program development and planning took place between January and March 2018 as discussed above. Initial meetings between the various partners took place in November and December 2017 during which course content and program goals were discussed. Final meetings took place in March 2018 to review any final queries or necessary adjustments to the course material with particular attention to the needs of industry upon hiring workers. The course was carried out across four locations in Renfrew and Lanark Counties, with most of the program evaluation research being carried out in the classrooms and following completion of the program across the four sites. Field observations and focus groups were carried out with the learners, and field observations and exit interviews were carried out with the program instructors upon completion of the course. Interviews were also carried out with support services officers who were involved in the program.    The Career Access to the Trades training program was carried out across two sites over eight weeks in April and May 2018, and two other sites over eight weeks in May and June 2018. In addition to certifications, guest lectures, and visits to various trade sites, the classroom time was spent focusing on the following areas: apprenticeship, communication, math, and soft skills. Observation took place throughout the various sites during May 2018. Focus groups and interviews took place following the end of the respective programs (at the four sites).    The assessment for this program take an exploratory case study approach, this is because the participating partners were looking to create real-life interventions to help job-seekers gain employment in the manufacturing sector that required skills training. This is an impact evaluation as well in that the assessment aims to determine whether contextualized the essential skills program that was implemented has positively impacted learning and labour market outcomes for participants. Preliminary research for this project highlighted the need for literacy and soft-skills learning as well as trade-specific training in order to adequately address labour market shortages, and as such the Essential Skills program aimed to blend various types of skills learning in an engaging and interactive way for the learners. While this need was identified by employers, the question is how and if providing classroom and skills-based training for job seekers in the manufacturing sector will help them find jobs. Therefore, assessing community needs and the service activities necessary to meet these needs meant drawing on an exploratory approach. This method helps best identify what services should be provided and the best approaches to providing said services to job seekers. This method is also helpful in determining what outcomes should be measured based of the types of services offered. For this specific program, therefore, assessing whether or not the training was felt to be helpful for both job-seekers and employers in the manufacturing is helpful in future program building, and for bridging innovative learning strategies within the practical limitations of the sector. Program delivery assessment is also important, in terms of success and sustainability of such programs, and therefore some of the results will draw specifically on instructor and support service officer feedback to indicate their perceptions of how well run the program was, how it should be improved, and how it helps address what it aims to address.    The program assessment has been driven by a pragmatic epistemology in that it is grounded in understanding the practical consequences of how academic and intellectual learning as well as pragmatic 

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skills learning impacts life outcomes and chances. In this case, the goal is to assess how the Career Access to the Trades training program impacts both job-seekers and employers fill roles in the manufacturing sector. And also, we want to assess the extent to which job-seekers found the program helpful for their learnings and skills in general. In order to thoroughly examine the efficacy of the program, pre-and post-training surveys were given to learners and employers, focus groups were carried out with learners as well as exit interviews with instructors support service officers, and fieldwork observation was carried out in the classroom. The approach to this project followed a sequential pattern where preliminary research highlighted the labour gaps in the region of Renfrew and Lanark Counties in the manufacturing sector. Upon completion of the preliminary research, a number of workshops were held amongst partners to help outline the content for the program and then the curriculum was built primarily between January and March 2018. Following the pilot running of the program across the four sites, the qualitative and evaluative research was carried out (this will be the focus of discussion in the results portion of the report).    The recruitment strategy was open-ended and sought to target job-seekers who were interested in careers in the manufacturing and trades sector, and who needed skills-based training and support. The program was advertised through word of mouth, social media, and in person at an open information session . The inclusion criteria were: aged 20 to 40 years old, seeking gainful employment, an interest in the trades, not in school full time or at all, low skilled, and looking for a career pathway. In total, 20 learners and 8 instructors took part across the four sites, and participated in the qualitative program assessment research.    One focus group was held with program participants at each location with semi-structured questions to guide the conversation, this session was approximately an hour and a half long. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were held with each instructor and with some service support officers. These lasted approximately 30 minutes each. They were conducted in person, with the sessions being digitally recorded and then transcribed. To maintain anonymity, participants were not named. Data analysis was iterative and interpretive using a thematic analysis, where the researchers identified analyzed patterns in the data, which keeps the findings empirically driven as opposed to trying to match up to a particular theory. Due to its flexibility, thematic analysis allows for rich, detailed and complex description of the data and allowed the researchers to pull out the primary themes that emerged naturally from the data. These themes link back to the research question in that they assess: the value of an enhanced training program focused on skilled and technical trades knowledge and expertise, in class skills and experiential learning and technical training, and whether a pipeline of ready-to-work, skilled individuals can help meet labour market shortages. The themes that came from the data were deductively established from both the learner and instructor interviews. Two researchers undertook the data analysis and worked together with regular consultation and discussion in order to reach consensus on the themes emerging from the data.  

Results  

Overview  Five central themes emerged from the data that was collected for the program evaluation. These themes were                                 consistent across the four groups of learners and instructors and were overall rather negative in their                               

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assessment of the program, save one theme. The four negative themes can be summarized as follows: lack of                                   linkage between program and jobs, administrative issues and oversight problems, issues with program                         content, and rural challenges. The one positive theme to emerge was around teacher impact and initiative.                               Based on the research objectives and central research question we sought to link the experiences of                               job-seekers and instructors in the program back to broader questions about whether or not this training                               program helps individuals gain the skills needed for employment in the manufacturing sector. More so,                             whether or not the program-to-career pipeline goal of this program is indeed effective in placing job-seekers                               in the industry.  

Thematic Analysis  

Linkage Between Program and Jobs 

A number of learners in the program felt that the Career Access to the Trades course was going to help them                                         upgrade their skills and place them in a long term position at the end of the learning period. However, the                                       placement was not usually a long-term permanent position so many criticized this. They further criticized                             the placement process because a majority of learners did not get placements at the end of the course,                                   therefore they felt that the whole course was a waste of their time as their primary goal was really to get a                                           meaningful placement and possible job at the end. There was also an issue with the fact that placements had                                     not been arranged between the program and employers prior to the program starting, as one individual                               summarizes:  “I got from the flyer the impression that you'd already talked to employers and had specific employers ready to take people on, yeah, as apprentices for certain trades. Like you had electricians, you had carpenters, you know, ready to go. Okay, so that when we completed this course, they would be like, okay you want to be a 

carpenter, and you go right? So it seemed like it was almost guaranteed and that's not been the case.”    Another learner amplifies this by saying that while there were some resources available to individuals in the                                 course, they were not helpful for securing positions for learners at the end of the course. They state that they                                       secured a part-time job at the end of the program but that it did not really have anything to do with the                                           course at all. In their own words:    “It's just a part-time thing and I got that by walking in and handed them my resume, nothing to do with this course whatsoever. The resources you did have, like your coaches and that kind of stuff, they weren't enough 

to actually, like, secure a placement for you. The flyer indicated that this was another pathway that would ease our transition into either apprenticeship or a skills upgrading program or, it said right on it, a degree 

program.”    In some of the sites there were no placements at all for the learners and this contributed to their frustration                                       with the program and their frustration at the program outcomes. They stated that the coaching and job                                 searches and site visits were interesting but not helpful when they did not lead to a real, meaningful job                                     placement. The frustrations were further felt by the instructors who could sense the issues that students had                                 in relation to the linkage between the program and job prospects. One instructor stated: “I think would have                                   been nice if they already had employers set up in several different trades knowing that there’s going to be                                     

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eight or nine people that are coming out. We're gonna have to set them up with job placements, down in                                       advance.” Another instructor stated that the program advertising did sort of promise jobs to those who took                                 the course and this should never be the case, as job placements cannot be guaranteed. They stated that: “A                                     student should never been promised a job. (..) Someone said that there would be a job for them at the end of                                           the time. I thought well, that doesn't make any sense. We're not employers. We can't promise that job. So                                     then it came out no, it wasn't really meant like that, but we're going to try and get placements. And if you                                           read on the ad somewhere it does kind of allude to that.” This issue of false advertising will be further                                       addressed under the next theme.    Given the goal of this Career Access to the Trades program in giving job-seekers skills for manufacturing                                 and trades, and then placing them in positions where they could put these skills to use, this is a major                                       downfall of the program. Across the four sites, students and instructors felt that the link between the                                 program and job placements was severely in deficit. Not only was a placement not possible for the majority                                   of learners, but the ones that did get placements were dissatisfied and did not feel like it was the right fit for                                           their goals. This lack of planning and oversight regarding linking the program learners to placements seems                               to be a symptom of larger administrative and oversight issues in the program, which will be addressed in the                                     next section.    

Administrative Problems & Oversight Issues 

Many learners critiqued the program and laid the blame with those who had created it. They had a huge issue                                       with false advertising, stating that the administrators did not make it clear what the program outcomes                               would be. They also cite a lack of support and coordination, and administrative incompetence in terms of                                 how the program was run. And lastly, they lay blame with the program organizers for not considering the                                   need of many job seekers to access employment insurance while participating in such programs. This was a                                 huge issue for many of the learners. Each of these concerns will be addressed in turn in terms of how they                                         make up this theme.    False advertising is cited across the sites by learners and instructors alike, as many believed that the program,                                   as advertised, was not an adequate reflection of what the program actually consisted of and did for the                                   learners. One individual remembers the initial poster they saw and states:    

“I'm looking at this poster with the hammer and the gears and I'm thinking this is misleading. Why is it saying it's for all the trades? It should be saying construction trades or the industrial trades, mechanical 

trades, but what about the service trades? That part was completely overlooked. I get the distinct impression that the people who created this didn't know anything about the trades themselves.” 

   This individual criticizes the fact that the program is too broad, and advertised too broadly in terms of the                                     scope of the trades it addresses. An instructor builds on this stating that the name of the program itself is                                       misleading, because the Career Access component was lacking, they state:    

“It should have stayed as Essential Skills for the Trades. The Career Access… originally I was calling it essential skills for the trades because that's what we teach right? We don't teach career access. I guess maybe 

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they were thinking the partnership and all that. It actually gave the impression that, you know, people were going from here right into work and, you know, it was misleading.” 

   Many of the learners and instructors refer to seeing “job trial with employer in your target trades career”                                   stated explicitly in material regarding the program. When instructors followed up with the administration                           for the program they admitted dropping the ball, but this was incredibly upsetting for the learners who                                 stayed in the program specifically because they believed they would have a job trial at the end of the                                     course-based learning. One instructor expressed their frustration in not being able to help students with                             placements, especially when they were led to believe they’d get job trials, and questioned whether the                               administration or employment services had not followed through with this course component.    Learners cited administrative incompetence because they met a number of key individuals on the first day of                                 the program and never saw them again. This was echoed, for learners, by the fact that they registered with                                     the employment services partners but never heard from them or engaged with them any more after their                                 registration.    Lack of support by the administration is primarily cited by the instructors across all four sites who reflect on                                     how disorganized meetings with the administration were, and how course plans were put together very                             haphazardly and without much oversight. The instructors all noticed a lack of professionalism with the                             administration and cite specific cases where money was discussed inappropriately, amongst other issues. This                           was not in one case, but in many cases. Further issues around feedback arose throughout the course where                                   the administration asked instructors to upload information for feedback but upon doing so there was never                               any feedback given. Issues around scheduling and lack of planning trickled down from the administration to                               the instructors and then to the learners as well. It was nearly impossible for the instructors to operate                                   effectively when they did not have any support, and so this became evident to the learners as well. One                                     student states: “The person in charge of setting up different things for us to go see or speakers to come in    failed, didn't do it. It was all up to our instructor to figure something out and that wasn't part of her job.” The last issue linked to the administration was lack of consideration for employment insurance access during                               the course. One learner stated: “Like it's a really long time to go without having a job. Right? Like yeah,          you can't get unemployment either. You can't get unemployment while on this.” So this further compounds the learners’ issues with not having a job trial as many gave up other possible employment routes and employment insurance in the hope of a meaningful job trial which never came to fruition. A support services officer echoes these issues in the following quotation.

“This program is a really long time to ask someone to wait to start work, right? And so then there was like compounding issues with that. So one, because Employment Services offers those other two programs and 

both of those other two programs offer a stipend, like a weekly stipend to those participating, there's less of a barrier to entry because they know they're literally going to start getting paid right away for training. And so they do three weeks of like essentially paid training and then move into their job, right, so they don't mind 

doing the training first. Whereas this one, we had a lot drop out because they just simply needed to be working and they couldn't afford eight weeks of not working. And so this program was almost immediately 

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not right because it was time you could otherwise be spending like looking for a position. EI’s stipulation is that you're ready, willing, and able to work, and if you're in a training for more than 10 hours a week, they 

take that as not being willing and able.”    

So this quotation highlights the fundamental issue with this program in terms of it being an actual barrier to                                     a job or any financial support for job-seekers. Compared to other programs where placements are set up and                                   timelines are more carefully considered in terms of the financial needs of the learners involved, this program                                 was inadequate. These issues all compounded and led to many individuals dropping out of the program                               simply because they could not afford to take a course when they were not going to receive any meaningful                                     placement or financial compensation.    Issues with Program Content 

Many learners and instructors had issues with the program content, this varied from concerns with the lack                                 of hands-on content, to a lack of relevance between course content and the trades, and lastly ineffectiveness                                 of the program because the content was dry and not linked to practical trades enough.    Many learners felt that the program was too classroom-based and did not give them enough experience                               doing hands-on learning in the trades, they stated: “I think a lot more people would be interested if it was                                       more practical. Yeah, if there had been that kind of extra, like, practical, like go on-site and do something                                     else. 25% in-class, 75% out there doing stuff. That's, yeah, I kind of like that break up.” Other learners agreed                                       with this but stated further that the class content should have been more tailored to the trades and the soft                                       skills could have been linked to technical writing and comprehension because these are necessary skills in the                                 trades. This issue was a big one as many students were drawn to the program because they thought it would                                       be about hands-on learning, stating “Another [thing that drew me to the program], it was hands-on learning.                                 Yeah, try different careers and figure out what you wanted. You just don't know what kind of trade you want                                       to do. So in my mind, I thought we would be doing hands-on things in class pretty much every single day.                                         You know trying it – flooring, try laying bricks, various trades items.” The lack of hands-on training was                                   seen as a major issue given the program purported to be a gateway to trades. This speaks to the next                                       sub-theme of relevance.    Many learners and instructors expressed an issue with the course content not being relevant to trades                               specifically. One job-seeker synthesizes this sentiment in the following quotation: “There was nothing really                           to do with the trades. It was just upgrading your soft skills, your math. I didn't see much to do with the                                           trades.” An instructor echoes this frustration in their perception of the program content, they state that the                                 curriculum, “could have been tweaked to make it a bit more appropriate for the learners or the goals of the                                       program,” because most of the focus ended up being on communication and other soft skills rather than the                                   trades. They continue, “we had a group of people that work on the communications in a group that were                                     working on the trades and soft skills and math, but I don't really think that they communicated much because                                     there was a lot of there's a lot of stuff that was taught in soft skills that then would end up that we would                                               cover again in the trades curriculum.” So the lack of relevance was an issue but so was repetition of soft skills                                         content, “like I taught an example of memo writing or smart goal setting in the soft skills courses at the very                                         beginning. But then it also came up in the trades sections. It was a review and a repeat and so on.” The                                           

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instructors felt like it was hard to teach a curriculum that was relevant to the range of trades when you had                                         individuals in the class who ranged in interest from carpentry, to hairdressing, to child-service worker, to                               plumbing.    There was a noted boredom in the classroom, with many learners feeling like they were no better off having                                     taken the course than they were before. One individual states, “I think my frustration with this whole thing is                                     I'm in the same spot I was when I started this, but with CPR. So the feeling that this, the program, hasn't                                           really moved you, you know. It's kept me still same spot.” This was echoed by many individuals stating that                                     other than meeting new people or gaining certain certifications they do not feel like they have really                                 benefited from the program. The instructors could sense the frustration in the classroom as well, with one                                 instructor stating: “the content itself, I think got quite dry and boring after a while, specifically, I often felt,                                     when I was teaching the soft skills. I was beating a dead horse. I just felt like I was saying things that they                                             already knew; a lot of it seemed very kind of common sense and they knew that. I was getting blank stares                                         and I was just getting, you know, they totally weren't into it.”  Rural Challenges 

The question of rural versus urban job opportunities was another theme that demonstrated a concern                             amongst learners in the program. Many individuals cited their concern and need for taking the program as                                 being linked to a lack of opportunities in their community. One individual stated: “It's a lot harder to get a job                                         around here. And so here’s knowledge. Everything is moved, has moved to a different location or it's cheaper                                   to make somewhere else. Okay. So we've had so many factories that died. That's how I feel around here                                     because I don't…I feel like almost going out to, say, Toronto or Mississauga or somewhere someone where                                 there's more opportunity.” So the program was seen as a real opportunity for the learners to obtain skills to                                     put to use in jobs in their community.    A support services officer echoes the rural concern, stating that some unique challenges arise in rural areas in                                   terms of employers being able to offer apprenticeship and having apprentices at the required skill level. This                                 is outlined in the following quotation:    

“We do have the land and the space for the factories which of course brings them in more often and the trades, they’re either like Factory manufacturing based or um, a lot of times are like small locally owned 

companies. But, those can cause a lot of problems too if you're a smaller company because maybe you could only take on one apprentice at a time because there's all the apprenticeship ratios, right? So if you don't have enough people at the higher level to take on more than one apprentice, then if you end up with an apprentice 

that really isn't ready or you go through like a lot of hiring cycles, like hiring and firing cycles because the apprentice wasn't ready. I feel these are more rural issues because it's smaller. And so it makes it more 

difficult.”    

One final difficulty addressed under the theme of rural challenges is that of transportation. One support                               services officer states that transportation is a huge issue that keeps coming up over and over again. There is a                                       lack of adequate public transportation in rural areas and they suggest that a lack of alternatives also interfere                                   with job-seekers abilities to actually get to places of employment. They suggest rideshare tools, saying                             

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“something more like, you know, every day I take a route from here to here. If you are along that route and                                           need to be dropped off in between, you're welcome to join me, and like setting up carpooling more. Look,                                     there's three drivers that pass close to me here are their contact information and you know, I can contact                                     them and create a rideshare.”    

Teacher Initiative 

One positive theme to emerge from the program evaluation data was regarding the instructors for the                               program. Many students believed that the one positive aspect of the course and their participation in the                                 program was the teacher’s initiative.    One student states about their instructor:    

“I can’t stress enough, what a great teacher. She's really good actually. Instead of the problem. She found a solution. She bought him a standing table, so she was accommodating for equal work. You can tell she knows 

what she's doing and she's been doing it a lot of years, because she took the time to spend with each and every one of us, you know, when we needed anything. She took the time to deal with it and address our concerns and weaknesses. You know what? I think programs like these and school boards, generally they need more (of her). Yeah, I would probably have paid attention more if I had her when I was in school.” 

   Many students said that any success they had in the course was linked back to their instructors taking the                                     time and energy to help them. Another learner states: “She really takes the time to make sure that not only                                       three of us are clear, that all seven are clear on what is going on and that all get it. She takes the time so that                                                   the person gets it. So she did a lot math and soft skills.” This highlights the time and effort paid by the                                           instructor to each individual learner within the classroom.    While the instructors proved very helpful and beneficial to students in their experience of the program, they                                 all seemed to be under supported by the administration as mentioned in one of the earlier themes. Many of                                     the instructors went above and beyond their job duties and responsibilities because of issues with                             administration following through on various, key aspects of the program curriculum. They felt like they                             were not compensated for all of the hours they needed to put in to the program, nor were they adequately                                       compensated for the additional work they needed to do. One instructor stated:    “Like is that enough hours for an instructor? Um paid hours, you know, I don't mind doing it. I was doing it for the students. Yeah. There’s not really any compensation for that. I think that if you want to just come in 

and teach out to the books and hand them the sheets and say do it, that's fine. But I think if you want to relate it to something and then you have to spend that time, you know in the soft skills. You want to rehearse that. 

You know, why are we talkin about silos? What silos? You know, get all that information so that it can be interesting as opposed to somebody just standing there reading from the book. There’s kind of two separate issues there, the lack of prep time and lack of understanding of what an instructor does in terms of, like, the 

lesson planning and the being in the classroom to deal with the students and engagement to mark things, that sort of thing.” 

   

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So while learners applauded the teachers and what they did in the program, two major issues were seen by the instructors themselves. They believed that there was a lack of compensation for preparatory time, and a lack of understanding for what a teacher’s role is in the classroom. These both link back to issues with a top-heavy administration who lacked clear direction. 

Discussion  This program evaluation provides some very clear and direct assessments about the Career Access to the                               Trades training program as delivered in Renfrew and Lanark Counties. The assessment of the program is                               almost entirely negative, with the one positive finding being something that occurred despite the issues with                               administration and management of the program. There was a lack of planning and oversight from the outset                                 that meant that the program was never and could never run as scheduled, much to the detriment of both the                                       learners and instructors. This program was piloted as a pipeline to trades experience for learners but the key                                   component of this – a placement, or job trial – was lacking for almost all learners. There were many                                     irrelevant and repetitive elements of the curriculum that were not helpful to the learners. Given the desire of                                   many of the learners who engaged in this course to obtain work in the trades, it is detrimental that this                                       program did not adequately introduce them to the trades. With many individuals having to drop out of the                                   program because they were finding it tedious, and not helpful for obtaining employment.    It is clear that the task of building up a workforce is, at least for many on the margins, a much more complex                                             task than simply developing skills to successfully bridge competencies with employers’ demands. For many                           on the margins in Ontario, meaningful skills development is simply impossible without extensive and                           intensive wraparound supports, particularly (but not exclusively) from those in the community health sector.                           Multi-service organizations are often at the front line here, providing a range of supports to help at-risk                                 individuals to stabilize their lives. For many, such stabilization – which involves many factors of their lives –                                   is a long-term and intensive process; for some, such stabilization is impossible. However, oversight around                             issues like employment insurance access for learners is a big problem. This is exactly the kind of issue that                                     might deter job-seekers from taking such training courses again or in the future.    While preliminary research for this project highlighted the need for soft skills, it seems that the program                                 administration took this focus a bit too far. Or more so, they created content assuming a lack of soft skills                                       whether this deficit existed or not, and lacked content in areas where the learners had true interest. Payne                                   (2017) argues, for example, “that many routine service jobs have been too readily dismissed as low-skilled                               because of a preoccupation with conventional measures … such as qualification requirements and length of                             education or training times, which fail to capture the actual skills in use” (p. 56). At worst, such assumptions                                     about targeting individuals for skills training or competency acquisition may be discriminatory: the deficit                           model that these narratives imply may help position particular groups of people as being in need of more                                   intensive training and support. While this may be the case – that is, that certain barriered individuals and                                   communities do require additional support – individualized skills training and skills upgrading, even with                           extensive wraparound supports, may in fact be an inadequate solution unless accompanied by                         broader-reaching, structural socioeconomic and sociopolitical change that works to develop meaningful                     opportunities for people and their communities – both in terms of employment, and beyond. The fact that                                 

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one learner questioned whether the program coordinators had any knowledge of the trades at all is very                                 telling.    This program, at this point, had no redeeming qualities for the learners or the instructors. While the                                 curriculum and program goals are admirable, the delivery was severely lacking. The overall focus of this                               program on skills training for trades and manufacturing in Renfrew and Lanark Counties is admirable and                               necessary. But this program will not help address the existing needs of the community. If nothing else, the                                   Career Access to the Trades program provides a lesson in what not to do when launching such a course. 

Conclusion    The findings for this project show that the course was unable to meet its goals, and the program evaluation demonstrates a severe lack of satisfaction with the Career Access to the Trade training course by both learners and instructors. Not only was this program unhelpful in preparing job-seekers for a job in the trades, but the course was not carried out as scheduled and thus denied job-seekers the opportunity to engage meaningfully in their desired trade field. This was a major disappointment for the learners and led many individuals to leave the program early as they simply could not afford to stay in the program as it was not leading to a job trial, as many had believed to be the ultimate outcome. Instructors for the program felt dissatisfied with the support they received but knew how keen the learners were to gain experience in the trades so they tried their best to accommodate this in the curriculum somehow. However, this was outside of the scope of their work and their compensation, and further stressed the instructors who were overstretched and lacking support in their roles. Overall, this project has shown little promise in reaching the aims and goals that it set out. The curriculum was underdeveloped and this was reflected and amplified by a lack of follow through by the administration in carrying out the course itself. However, due to the challenges being faced in the manufacturing and trades sector in Renfrew and Lanark Counties, and the lack of skilled labour force in the same region, this is a great area of need and some other type of program run by other individuals might have more success.   

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The opinions expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect those of the Government of Canada or the Government of Ontario.