Education is critical in keeping up to date on equipment. An apprentice technician installs a thermostat under the watchful eye of a judge at Skills Ontario 2019. HRAI member volunteers organized and ran the residential HVAC competition.The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum is inviting presentation outlines for the next national apprenticeship conference, May 24-26, 2020 at the Telus Convention Centre, Calgary, Alta. More than 500 delegates are expected to participate over the three-day event.
The conference will highlight initiatives, programs and strategies that help attract and retain top-level apprentices. This includes breaking down the stigma associated with the skilled trades and how to engage youth, under-represented groups, parents and educators to actively promote apprenticeships as a first-choice career path.
Presentations must also include programs and tools that consider skills, social and emotional competencies, and employability. The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum describes a successful submission as “share insights into innovative projects, initiatives and partnerships that stand to increase, participation in apprenticeship training, inspire the apprenticeship community to engage in collaborative solutions that elevate the merits of skilled trades careers, and improve transition to the labour market and bridge the gap between skills shortages and under-employment.”
Decisions will be made on each submission on a case-by-case basis. Each presenter must register and pay to attend the conference. Registration costs $699 plus tax for the early-bird rate, $799 plus tax for the regular rate, or $399 for the daily rate if the speaker is only interested in only going to their own presentation.
The deadline to submit a proposal is Nov. 8, 2019, by 5 p.m. ET. Presentations can run from 20 to 90 minutes. The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum is a non-profit organization that connects Canada’s apprenticeship community. For more information, please visit www.caf-fca.org/national-apprenticeship-conference/.