What will apprenticeship education look like in Alberta in the year 2030? While answers to this question could be endless, this paper will focus on the delivery of technical training in post-secondary institutions around the province. The apprenticeship model in Alberta typically lasts four years, with apprentices spending approximately two months a year at technical institutions as full-time students. They spend the remaining ten months working as apprentices in their chosen trade. Currently, there are seventy-six trades and occupations that require technical training. This paper will make three predictions:

1.         There will be a large influx of students needing technical training, but there will be a need for more funding to support these students.

2.         Blended learning enrollment will surpass face-to-face learning enrollment.

3.         By 2030, apprentice training will still require some in-person learning.

While it is challenging to predict how future global challenges like pandemics and the effects of climate change will shape the future, this paper is guided by government policy, trends that were seen before the pandemic, and academic articles around the topic. 

In 2030, a large influx of students and apprentices will need technical training. The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (2021) found that Alberta needs almost sixty-four thousand journey people over the next ten years to keep pace with economic growth and the replacement of retirees. This means they will need to attract approximately one hundred and fifty thousand new apprentices on top of the existing apprentices. This is because many apprentices that start training only finish some of the four years. (p. 2). These numbers do not account for the new Skilled Trades and Apprenticeship Act (2021) which aims to add several more programs like cyber security, graphic design, and fashion arts into the apprenticeship system by 2030. It is also important to note that attitudes around the skilled trades and four-year university programs are shifting. In a recent study by ECMC Group (2021), a nonprofit that provides academic support to high school students found that only 48% of current high schoolers were considering a four-year degree after high school. As a result, higher school student interest in skills trades has increased to 80% (StrataTech, 2021). The results of these surveys and the need for new apprentices could logically increase demand for technical training as students pursue apprenticeships for their post-secondary education. 

However, despite the need for apprenticeship seats, the Government of Alberta has cut funding to colleges across the province which deliver technical training. For example, the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) and Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) have faced eight and nine per cent cuts in government funding from 2019/20 to 2021/22 (French, 2021). 2030 could look bleak for technical training institutions due to the lack of investment by the government. If funding continues to be cut, there could be a significant rise in tuition, a reduction in course offerings, and fewer academic and support staff to aid student success (Mitchell et al., 2017). This means that technical training institutions need help to meet the growing demand. With higher tuition costs, apprentices from marginalized communities may not become part of the influx of students attending training. Higher tuition costs coincide with lower enrolment among low-income earners (Coelli, 2009) and people of colour (Mitchell et al., 2016). This will affect already marginalized individuals’ ability to attend technical training. Regardless of funding, by 2030, there could be a shift to blended learning for technical training. 

In 2030, blended technical training enrolment will surpass traditional face-to-face enrollment. While the definition of blended learning is broad, Alberta Advanced Education (n.d.) defines it as a “combination of theory delivered online via e-learning…while the practical portion takes place at the shop facilities of the institution” (para. 2). For apprentices enrolled in blended learning, they could have the option to participate in two different formats of blended learning. They could spend one day a week, or one to two weeks per eight-weeks, at an institution’s shop facilities, with the remainder online. Since Bill 67 (2021), the “Skilled Trades and Apprenticeship Education Act” passed, training institutions have been granted more autonomy in setting curriculum and delivering instruction. Training institutions can meet the growing demand for online and blended learning. Contact North (2019), a Canadian education and training network, found that online registrations grew almost 10% yearly while face-to-face learning remained level. During the pandemic, infrastructure was also advanced to support online learning and instructional staff training within digital learning environments. The desire for online and blended learning coupled with institutions’ ability to deliver the courses means that students will be presented with the option of blended learning. It is also important to note that Yapici and Akbayin (2012) found that high schoolers viewed blended learning with a high level of positivity (p. 135). They may consider blended learning a more viable option for their post-secondary endeavors. Blended learning also makes technical training more accessible for apprentices. 

Blended learning makes technical training more accessible in a scenario where technical training is not provided within a student’s geographic area. They must “fully disrupt or uproot their existing lives as they would in the event of pursuing education in face-to-face settings” Veletsianos and Houlden (2019, p. 457). An example is the electric motor systems technician, for which the technical training is only offered at SAIT in Calgary for all of Alberta. If students must leave their communities for months of technical training, this could be a significant barrier to attending.  They may be faced with finding alternate housing, possible child care, and leaving their families and their support systems. Blended learning allows students to attend theory classes online, and they would only have to leave their communities for one week instead of months at a time for hands-on training. This flexibility will also lead to an increase in blended learning enrollment in 2030. However, due to the hands-on nature of technical training, in 2030, there will be a continued need for in-person training.

Despite advancements in technology, by 2030, there will be a continued need for face-to-face learning. At most institutions, this will be offered within a blended model of learning. This need for face-to-face learning is due to the apprenticeship training model, which requires specific work skills that are typically manual in nature. Technologies like virtual reality (VR) are effective tools for training students in safety protocols (Sacks et al., 2012) and can effectively improve students’ knowledge (Chen et al., 2020). However, by 2030 VR technology will be unable to simulate realistic scenarios students come across while attending in-person technical training. For example, the sense of smell and taste required for culinary arts. These are extremely difficult to simulate, and Dozio et al. (2021) found that “Olfactory stimuli are widely neglected” in VR technology. Perhaps VR will be able to incorporate these senses in the far future, but by 2030 these tasks will still need to be done in person.

In conclusion, in 2030, some face-to-face components of technical training will still be necessary due to the nature of the skilled trades’ technical training. A large influx of students will require technical training. If current trends continue, institutions delivering training could be underfunded, resulting in higher tuition costs, fewer course offerings, and adverse effects on marginalized communities. Despite these potential outcomes, there will still be an increase in blended learning that will provide students with a choice in choosing technical training that best fits their learning needs and lifestyle.

References

Alberta Advanced Education. (n.d.). Training delivery. https://tradesecrets.alberta.ca/apprentice-services/attend-classroom-instruction/class-delivery/

Bill 97, Skilled trades and apprenticeship education act, 2nd Sess, 30th Parl, Alberta, 2021 (assented to 17 June 2021). https://kings printer.alberta.ca/1266.cfm?page=S07P88.cfm&leg_type=Acts&isbncln=9780779832149

Canadian Apprenticeship Forum. (2021). Apprentice demand: A 2021 labour market information report Alberta. https://caf-fca.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/CAF_Report_LMI-2021_EN_Alberta_FINAL.pdf

Chen, F., Leng, Y., Ge, J., Wang, D., Li C., Chen, B., & Sun, Z. (2020). Effectiveness of virtual reality in nursing education: Meta-analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research 22(9). https://doi.org/10.2196/18290  

Coelli, M. B. (2009). Tuition fees and equality of university enrolment. The Canadian Journal of Economics, 42(3), 1072–1099. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40389499 

Contact North. (2019). 10 predictions for online learning in 2020. https://www.diigo.com/item/pdf/z3j2/e631db0f

Dozio, N., Maggioni, E., Pittera, D., Gallace, A., & Obrist, M. (2021). May I smell your attention: exploration of smell and sound for visuospatial attention in virtual reality. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.671470  

ECMC Group. (2021). Question the quo: Gen z teens seek to blaze their own education path. https://questionthequo.org/media/3587/qtq-report-_1121_for-print.pdf

French, J. (2021, June 28). Some alberta post-secondary institutions left relatively unscathed while U of A funds slashed, new data shows. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/some-alberta-post-secondary-institutions-left-relatively-unscathed-while-u-of-a-funds-slashed-new-data-shows-1.6081029

Mitchell, M., Leachman, M., & Masterson, K. (2016, August 16). Funding down, tuition up, state cuts to higher education threaten quality and affordability at public colleges. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.  https://www.cbpp.org/sites/default/files/atoms/files/5-19-16sfp.pdf

Mitchell, M., Leachman, M., & Masterson, K. (2017, August 23). A lost decade in higher education funding state cuts have driven up tuition and reduced quality. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.  https://www.cbpp.org/sites/default/files/atoms/files/2017_higher_ed_8-22-17_final.pdf

Sacks, R., Perlman, A., & Barak, R. (2012, August 30). Construction safety training using immersive virtual reality. Construction Management and Economics, 31(9), 1005-1017.  https://doi.org/10.1080/01446193.2013.828844

Strattech Education Group (2021) Covid-19 survey full results. https://stratatech.com/wp content/uploads/2021/10/Full-Results-StrataTech3.pdf

Veletsianos, G., & Houlden, S. (2019). An analysis of flexible learning and flexibility over the last 40 years of distance education. Distance Education, 40(4), 454–468. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2019.1681893

Yapici, I., & Akbayin, H.  (2012, October). High school students’ views on blended learning. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 13(4), 125-139.   https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1000418