Lyall - five steps to more tickets
By Richard Lyall
For Canadian Contractor
June 4, 2026
Canada is spending billions to recruit apprentices into the skilled trades - only to see a hefty chunk of them disappear before ever becoming certified journeypersons.
That is not simply a policy failure. It is an economic threat.
The construction industry in Ontario alone will need 154,100 workers over the next decade and is likely to end up with a shortfall of 52,000, according to figures from BuildForce Canada. Nationally, Canada is expected to need more than 1.4 million additional skilled workers by 2033.
The country continues to operate an apprenticeship system that loses enormous numbers of trainees before the finish line. Yet, at the same time, governments are trying to accelerate housing construction, rebuild infrastructure and strengthen domestic manufacturing capacity.
In Ontario, the auditor general found that only 47 per cent of apprentices complete their programs. Statistics Canada reports that only 19.9 per cent of apprentices complete certification within the expected program duration. Another 30.9 per cent discontinue altogether.
This is happening while Canada is also losing skilled workers to the United States. American immigration pathways such as the EB-2 National Interest Waiver have become increasingly attractive to skilled Canadians seeking higher wages, lower taxes and better economic opportunities.
Governments have invested heavily in awareness campaigns, apprenticeship grants and incentive programs. But the troubling reality is that recruitment is only the front end of the pipeline. The real crisis is completions.
Ontario’s apprenticeship system, for one, is filled with structural obstacles that make certification unnecessarily difficult. Apprentices spend years accumulating workplace hours and technical training, only to encounter bottlenecks, financial stress and examination barriers near the end of the process.
The Certificate of Qualification exam pass rate in Ontario currently sits at just 44.5 per cent. That means fewer than half of apprentices who complete all required training pass the final certification exam on their attempt.
In no other major professional pathway would this be considered acceptable.
Months-long delays for exam scheduling contribute to the problem. Ontario currently has only 13 exam sites province-wide, creating major backlogs, especially in Northern Ontario. Apprentices who have already invested four or five years into training can end up waiting months to sit for certification.
During that time, many continue earning apprentice wages rather than journeyperson salaries, a difference that can amount to tens of thousands of dollars annually.
To fix the problem, we don’t need to reinvent apprenticeship from scratch. We can borrow some of the most transferable elements from systems that already work exceptionally well.
Austria, Germany and Switzerland consistently achieve apprenticeship completion and certification outcomes far superior to Canada’s. Final exam pass rates in those countries range between 79 and 95 per cent. Switzerland’s apprenticeship dropout rate is estimated at just 5.2 per cent.
These countries succeed not because apprentices are inherently more capable, but because the systems are built to support completion rather than merely registration.
We cannot replicate the Germanic apprenticeship model wholesale but there are several practical elements we can copy.
First, we must dramatically improve career guidance at the secondary school level. In Switzerland and Germany, vocational education is introduced early and treated as a respected first-choice pathway, not a fallback option. Students receive structured exposure to trades careers between ages 13 and 15 through workplace placements and career-streamed guidance.
In Ontario, apprentices often enter the trades much later - around age 30 on average - frequently after unsuccessful experiences elsewhere. That delayed and unstructured entry increases dropout risk.
Second, there needs to be meaningful financial supports during apprenticeship training blocks. Financial hardship remains one of the top reasons apprentices discontinue. Germany and Austria provide stronger financial continuity throughout training, reducing the pressure to abandon certification midway through a program.
The Canadian government’s proposed $400 weekly income top-up for apprentices during mandatory classroom training is a step in the right direction. But support must also extend to exam preparation and completion.
Third, exam access must be expanded. In Ontario, there are 13 test sites. That must be boosted to 25. Structured coaching and diagnostic preparation systems need to be established to boost completion outcomes. Authorities also need to look at the design of exams.
Fourth, small and medium-sized employers need hands-on support. In Ontario, only 16 to 30 per cent of eligible employers sponsor apprentices. Many smaller firms lack the administrative capacity to manage apprenticeship paperwork, training requirements and regulatory compliance.
Finally, Ontario needs real-time apprentice tracking and mentorship systems. Right now, the province lacks the ability to identify struggling apprentices early and intervene before they leave the system. Austria’s mentorship and coaching programs provide structured third-party support for at-risk apprentices long before dropout becomes inevitable.
The apprenticeship completion gap is real and consequential - and it will have economic consequences.
The lesson from Austria, Germany and Switzerland is simple: successful apprenticeship systems must do more than recruit trainees; they must graduate them. Canada must start doing the same.
Richard Lyall is president of the Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON). He has represented the building industry in Ontario since 1991. Contact him at media@rescon.com.