Why we need to rebuild the nation’s apprenticeship system

By Richard Lyall

for Senso Magazine

June 30, 2026

Canada Day is a time for reflection and celebration - a moment when we take pride in a country that continues to grow, build, and reinvent itself. However, to continue on that path to prosperity, we need to ensure there is a healthy supply of skilled trades workers in the pipeline.

Unfortunately, there are clouds gathering - quiet but consequential - over one of the most critical systems underpinning Canada’s economic future: our apprenticeship system.

For more than a decade, the numbers have barely budged. Since 2013, Canada’s apprenticeship completion rate has remained stuck at roughly 20 per cent of registrations. That statistic alone should give policymakers pause. It means that four out of five people who begin an apprenticeship journey never cross the finish line.

And this is happening at a time when the need for skilled trades has never been greater.

A recent report prepared for RESCON underscores the scale of the problem - and the urgency. Despite billions of dollars in public investment in training programs, uptake remains uneven, and more troubling still, the number of workers who complete training and obtain certification is declining.

In other words, the issue is not simply that too few people are entering the system. It is that too few are making it through.

That distinction matters.

For years, governments have responded to skills shortages with familiar tools: more funding, more subsidies, more awareness campaigns. These efforts are well-intentioned and, in some cases, necessary. But the persistence of low completion rates suggests a deeper problem.

The system itself is not working as intended.

At its core, Canada’s apprenticeship framework is built on a set of traditional economic assumptions: give people the right information, reduce the cost of participation, and they will behave rationally and follow through. Yet the evidence - staring us in the face for more than a decade - tells a different story.

People are not perfectly rational actors. And apprenticeship systems that assume they are will continue to fall short.

This is where behavioural science offers a promising and necessary shift in thinking.

Behavioural science starts from a simple but powerful premise: human decision-making is shaped by cognitive biases, social pressures, and real-world constraints such as time, financial stress, and uncertainty. These forces influence not just whether people choose to enter an apprenticeship, but whether they persist, complete, and ultimately succeed.

Consider the reality facing many apprentices.

They are often required to navigate a complex and fragmented system with hundreds of entry points and dozens of trades. They must balance work, school, and financial obligations - often losing income during in-school training periods. They face uncertainty about long-term career prospects and, in many cases, a lack of clear guidance or mentorship.

At each stage of this journey, small barriers accumulate.

Behavioural science refers to this as “friction.” And when friction is high, even motivated individuals can disengage.

The tendency to prioritize immediate costs over future benefits can make it difficult for apprentices to stay the course when the payoff of certification feels distant. Individuals may be dissuaded from committing fully if they fear wasted time or income. Social norms, which still tend to favour university pathways over the trades, also quietly shape decisions long before a young person considers their options.

None of these factors are addressed by traditional policy tools alone.

That is why the RESCON report argues that the apprenticeship challenge is not just economic - it is behavioural. The system has been designed around assumptions that do not align with how people actually think, decide, and act.

If that is the diagnosis, then the prescription is clear: redesign the system.

This does not mean abandoning investment. Funding remains important. But it does mean rethinking how programs are structured, delivered, and experienced by the people they are meant to serve.

A behavioural approach would focus on reducing friction at every stage of the apprenticeship journey.

It would make pathways clearer and easier to navigate, particularly for those without industry connections. It would ensure that financial supports are not only available but accessible at the moments when they matter most. It would provide structured mentorship and exam preparation support - features taken for granted in other professions but often absent in the trades.

It would also shift how success is measured.