Under the terms of the Canadian Constitution, each province and territory has the responsibility for apprenticeship training. The legislation permits each jurisdiction to designate occupations for apprenticeship.
Next Deadline: – December 15, 2001
By Robert B. Reich
Alfred A. Knopf, 2000, ISBN: 1-896324-34-7
Ten years ago, former US Secretary of Labour Robert Reich wrote The Work of Nations, one of the first books to take the concept of the new economy into the public eye. As he advocates that innovation and re-examination are critical in today’s workplace, he has given us more food for thought as he analyses the effect of globalized markets, technological advances, e-commerce and the unrelenting demand to produce better and faster.
For a politician (and economist), Reich is surprisingly accessible, outlining the history and development of the new economy through the last two centuries, and lacing the chapters with anecdotes from all social strata and age groups. He also points out misconceptions such as the popular belief that today’s innovators must be adept at using new information technology. Reich feels that the true value is in the creative process, which in itself is not technology dependant, although it may require technology for delivery or implementation. He defines creative workers as either “Geeks,” or “Shrinks.” The Geeks are the creative introverts, being absorbed by what can be done with a product or a concept. They play and create, idea people who expand the possibilities of a project or company. The Shrink is the people person (including counsellors), who know what people really want for the product or service. They are the heart of the product or service.
The core of Reich’s thesis is that technology is speeding and broadening access to “terrific deals.” This spurs worker mobility, free agent commerce, and the need for workers to constantly sell themselves or create their “brand”. It also contributes greatly to the decline of loyalty and the increased value on “stickiness” or qualities that entice one to return to or remain with a product, service or organization. It is great for the consumer, but continuous stress for the seller, with the steep price of “more frenzied lives, less security, more economic and social stratification, the loss of time and energy for family, friendship, community and self.”
There are three sections to the book, and three “discussions”. Part I, “The New Work” will have the most relevance for counsellors. Part II, “The New Life” delves into changes in gender roles and workload sharing, stability and dynamics of the family (although narrowly defined) and the “commercialization of community”. Personal attention is becoming a commodity, one with an increasing demand, although remuneration does not yet reflect that. Part III, “Choices” summarizes the choices for both individuals and society. Reich takes care to say that our choices are not simple, and that people need not feel additional pressure and guilt if not able to achieve “balance” easily as this really is a systemic problem. The global and societal choices we face are interesting, but few of the potential solutions put forth (such as “community insurance” to ensure that communities are economically healthy even if major industries close) are likely to see implementation.
Join our Resources Review Committee. Representatives from all sectors sought to give opinions on the current resource listings and to recommend additional resources. Decisions are made through an e-mail discussion list, so there are no meetings to attend. The revisions are expected to be completed by late fall of 2001. Interested? Write to admin@contactpoint.ca.
Toronto District School Board, 2000, three ring binder format
ISBN 1-55000-570-7
The Apprenticeship Toolkit is a resource for teachers, counsellors and students wishing to learn about apprenticeship in Ontario. Much of the information could also be used by residents of other provinces, as the majority of the trades featured are eligible for the Inter-provincial Red Seal program.
By Julie Perrault
Apprenticeship is a structured system whereby an apprentice acquires the knowledge and skills, and learns to use the tools and materials of a trade while employed in that trade under the supervision of a skilled journeyperson. It includes on-the-job training and formal in-school technical training usually taken at a college or a private training institute.
Did you know that our 5-day MBTI qualifying program is the most content rich, experientially based workshop in North America? You will leave this course well prepared to immediately put type theory into practice with:
- multiple outlines for conducting introductory workshops
- reproducible masters for handouts and overheads
- more than 50 exercises to use when working with type theory
Can’t come to us for training? We would be delighted to come to you for an in-house program for groups of 10 or more. Browse our site or call for details on our high quality training prgrams, including: You and the Career Development Process, True Colors, FIRO-B, Strong Interest Inventory, and the COPSystem.
116 Viceroy Road, Unit B1 – Concord, Ontario, L4K2M2
Tel. (905)760-0111 or toll-free in Canada 1-877-680-0200 Fax. (905)760-0113
Be a part of the tradition…
Be a part of the future!
Disadvantaged Canadian youth often encounter difficulties in becoming established in the labour force. Whether due to emotional and physical abuse, drug and alcohol addiction, failure in school, or involvement in the criminal justice system, it is clear that many of these young people have inadequate skills and experience to compete in labour markets that increasingly require advanced training.
Association of Service Providers for Employability and Career Training BC’s Community Based Trainers
ASPECT is . . . a provincial association made up of over 140 members who provide employability and career training to people with barriers to employment; some members are private trainers and some are non-profit agencies.
ASPECT membership . . . is available to organizations in BC that provide community based employment and career training. ASPECT members deliver a variety of programs and services designed to assist individuals to overcome their employment disadvantages.
ASPECT exists to . . facilitate resource sharing and problem solving between agencies, promote good working relationships between agencies and government and to coordinate professional development opportunities for the management and staff of member agencies.
ASPECT administers . . .Job Start, a wage subsidy program for young people aged 17 to 24 and Training Works! A workplace based training program. ASPECT subcontracts the delivery of these programs to its qualified member agencies.
ASPECT members receive:
- Coordination and assistance with advocacy activities
- Requests for proposals to administer ASPECT programs
- A provincial directory of all member agencies
- Quarterly newsletter ASPECTIVES
- Information about regional professional development activities, and
- Invitations to participate in conferences and the Association’s Annual General Meeting.
ASPECT advocates . . . on behalf of its member agencies and their clients, both federally and provincally. On the national front, ASPECT represents its members with the following committees and organizations:
- The Canadian Coalition of Community Based Trainers (CCCBT)
- The Canadian Association of Education and Training Organizations (CAETO)
- The Canada Career Consortium (CCC)
- The National Headquarters of Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC), and
- The National Reference Committee for the First Source web site
ASPECT Board of Directors . . . consists of executive members as well as regional representatives from the Fraser Valley, Thompson-Oakanagan, Kootenays, Vancouver and Vancouver Island. The Board meets frequently to exchange information through networking, events and conference calls. ASPECT maintains a provincial office, located in Victoria.
Denise Dawson is a Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) with a background in the management of a large non profit community based training agency. As Director of Membership Services with ASPECT, her role is to provide members with information, research, advocacy and professional development opportunities.
By Diane Strong, Office Workers Career Centre
“The use of the Internet for business purposes is already having a profound impact on the largest non-managerial occupational group in the workforce – office support workers. E-business practices are changing the tools clerical workers use, where they work, who they are employed by, and their relationships with clients, customers, suppliers, managers and colleagues.” That’s a central conclusion of research by the Office Workers Career Centre to evaluate the impact of e-business on administrative and clerical workers.