Integrating Essential Skills into Apprenticeship Training Guide Essential Skill Program or Initiative Elements 1. Title of Initiative Integrating Essential Skills into Apprenticeship Training Guide 2. Delivery Organization (Name) Canadian Apprenticeship Forum(CAF-FCA) is a non-forprofit Sector Not for Profit First Nations, Métis, Inuit Business Other (specify) organization 3. Contact Details Emily Arrowsmith emily@caf-fca.org. 613-235-4004 Ext. 201 4. Website or Other Information Source www.caf-fca.org. 5. Funder(s) The project was funded by the Office of Literacy and Essential Skills. Amount of funding Approximately $50,000 was spent on producing the guide. 6. Other Partners involved Partner name Role Responsibilities ACCESS Trades Vancouver, BC Advisor, workshop organizer, promoter of the training to community members ACCESS Bladerunners Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island, BC Métis Nation, BC United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 310, Yukon Council of Yukon First Nations Kenjgewin Teg Educational Institute, Ontario Cree Human Resources Development of the Cree Regional Authority, Quebec Aboriginal Apprenticeship Board of Ontario Ogwehoweh Skills and Trades Training Centre, Ontario Joint Economic Development Initiative, New Brunswick Aboriginal Workforce Development Initiative, New Brunswick First Nations Human Resources Development Commission of Québec, Provided input on the best practices around developing the training programs with Essential Skills based on their experiences with Aboriginal clients and with setting up programs. Organized workshops that promoted Essential Skills tools. Advertised the events to their Aboriginal employment counselors Ensured good attendance at the workshops. First Nations, Inuit and Métis Essential Skills Applications Inventory 1
Kagita Mikam Aboriginal Employment and Training, Ontario Mamaaweswen, The North Shore Tribal Council, Ontario 7. Third Party Contractors involved Name Role Responsibilities HRSG Human Resources System Group Essential Skills Experts who developed the resource in consultation with Aboriginal communities Developed content for guide in consultation with Aboriginal partners. 8. Location (Name of city, community, etc.) The guide is relevant to Aboriginal communities across Canada 9. Location Type Urban The guide would be useful for all locations. Rural Fly-in (accessible only by air) First Nations, Métis, Inuit community Prison Other: Generic Scope of Program National The guide would be useful at levels local, Provincial/territorial provincial/territorial, or national. Local Special interest group (in-house program) 10. Target Audience Age Youth (15-25) The guide was developed for adult learners. Adult Other (specify): Gender Male The guide could be used with males or Female females. Other (Specify): Group First Nations All three Aboriginal groups were included on Inuit the Working Group and had input on the creation of the guide. Métis 11. Participant Eligibility Criteria: Any participant interested in the skilled trades and apprenticeship could benefit from the learning program that is outlined in the guide. 12. Year Program/Initiative Started 2010 13. Year Program/Initiative Ended The guide was completed in 2012. Why did the program end? No other work was completed because the agreement with OLES ended. First Nations, Inuit and Métis Essential Skills Applications Inventory 2
14. of Initiative Overview To produce a guide that will help Aboriginal employment counsellors set-up pre-apprenticeship or apprenticeship training programs for Aboriginal adult learners. All the tips and advice in the guide were provided by Aboriginal Skills Employment Training Agreement holders who have done work in this area and wanted to share their knowledge with others. The guide will help Aboriginal communities trying to set up their own programs. Topics covered 1. What do we need to know? 2. Who do we need to know? 3. What resources are needed? 4. What components are necessary to create the program? 5. How do we launch and market our program? 6. How do we know our program is effective? 7. Aims & Outcomes 8. Spirit of sharing 9. Is our program sustainable? Duration of program (# of sessions) NA. Depends on the community setting up the program. The guide can be used for various types of programs. length of each session NA 15. Number of times offered per year NA 16. Number of participants per intake NA 17. Completion rate (%) NA 18. Which Essential Skills are covered Reading Text (check all that are covered) Document Use Numeracy All the Essential Skills are covered in the guide. Writing Oral Communication Working with Others Thinking Skills Computer Use Continuous Learning 19. Main Objectives To share best practices when it comes to setting up a preapprenticeship or apprenticeship program for Aboriginal adult learners. 20. Does the program include special emphasis on: (check all that apply) The guide considered all three elements based on input from the Working Group, Aboriginal communities, and First Nation Chiefs. 21. Type of Intervention: (Check more than one if applicable) All apply in the case of the guide. Culture Language Tradition Awareness Building Assessment of skills Development of Learning Plan Training or Skill Development First Nations, Inuit and Métis Essential Skills Applications Inventory 3
The guide was meant to build awareness and is a tool that was developed. Tool Development Other: The guide refers to the assessment of skills, development of learning plans, training or skill development as essential parts of an effective training program for Aboriginal adult learners. 22. Type of delivery approach: (check all that apply) The guide was produced as a part of a project. The guide was developed by interviewing and consulting with stakeholders in the Aboriginal community. The guide itself suggests personal reflection awareness training, discussion, and skill practice as a part of an effective training program for Aboriginal adult learners. Lecture Seminar, discussion Personal reflection-awareness training Project/Theme Based Skill practice by participants in sessions Skill practice by participants in work place Interview/consultation with stakeholders Other: 23. Staff/Practitioner Training and Background The HRSG Essential Skills experts had over 20 years of experience in adult learning and Essential Skills. 24. Tools and Resources Used to Implement program (e.g., assessment tools, video tapes of practice, The guide suggests using a number of different tools when implementing a training program. etc.) 25. Difficulties or Barriers encountered Travel to provide hands-on help and support to communities trying to learn about Essential Skills or setup programs is difficult when remote locations are so expensive to fly to. Some communities definitely needed more help from the Essential Skills experts, but the cost of travel was a barrier. A lack of computer skills or internet access can be barriers that prevent using the web as an alternative way to communicate. There was a desire for Aboriginal Essential Skills experts and Aboriginal facilitators at the workshops we held, but no Aboriginal consultants applied when we put out the RFP. It is a challenge in a national project to reflect the diverse number of traditions and cultures that exist within the Aboriginal community. It was a struggle to include cultural elements in the tool without making it too generic. 26. Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanisms. Please provide details on how you assess the following: Achieving general program goals Not evaluated Tracking program adherence by participants Not evaluated Tracking program adherence by Staff Not evaluated First Nations, Inuit and Métis Essential Skills Applications Inventory 4
Assessing participant skill attainment Not evaluated Assessing participant knowledge acquisition Not evaluated Assessing changes in participant attitudes Not evaluated Program Impact including key results or outcomes Anecdotal evidence that the guide is distributed across the country. 27. Lesson Learned To encourage more use of the guide by various Aboriginal communities, it might have been helpful to offer handson workshops about the guide and setting up training programs. It might have been useful to pilot the guide with a group of Aboriginal learners. 28. Reporting (what and to whom) CAF-FCA had to report to a National Working Group which included Metis, First Nation, and Inuit members and to the funder, OLES. CAF-FCA gave project updates and provided all content for review and comment. First Nations, Inuit and Métis Essential Skills Applications Inventory 5