Pre-Welding Apprenticeship Training Pilot Project

AWES partnered with the Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC) to determine if a learner’s essential skills levels affect their ability to succeed in pre-apprenticeship training and if adding essential skills into training instruction will impact participant’s success in apprenticeship programs. Pre-apprenticeship training instructors received essential skills training to learn how to integrate essential skills concepts, including assessments and strategies for increasing skills, into training and conducted assessments with five students in the program. The assessments revealed that students entering training programs don’t always have the foundational skills needed for success. Overall, the pilot demonstrated the importance of addressing essential skills in pre-apprenticeship training and helped instructors learn how to recognize skill gaps and include strategy instruction in lessons.