Introduction
Trade Essentials is a research project funded under the Pan-Canadian Innovations Initiative, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, in partnership with the Apprenticeship Section of the PEI Department of Innovation and Advanced Learning.
The Trades Essentials program was designed to increase participation in trades by providing a well-defined pathway for each client to build on present skills and access services necessary for success in his or her occupation.
This new concept, focusing on essential skills and recognition of prior learning (RPL), provides assessment, interventions, and coordination of services for clients. This is the first project to provide a seamless learning path to trade certification.
To create this path, a number of educational tools were created and tested for thirteen trades. These tools are available in both official languages for use in any jurisdiction.
The Tools:
- Trade Specific Essential Skills Inventories (ESI)
- Through a dynamic assessment process using contextualized Essential Skills assessments, clients can identify individual proficiency levels of the following Essential Skills: reading text, document use, numeracy, oral communication, writing, and using computers. The Essential Skills Inventory and the Technical Skills Inventory assist the client to develop a learning path that includes measurable targets to reach his/her individual goals.
- Trade Specific Essential Skills Curriculum
- Trade-specific curriculum frameworks have been created for each of the thirteen trades along with trades specific curriculum guidelines and suggested resource materials.
- Technical Skills Inventories (TSI)
- Through a self-assessment process, clients are able to identify their individual trade-specific skills.
We also recognize the valuable contribution made by the apprentices and challengers who volunteered to participate in this research project. It is our sincere hope that they have gained as much from their participation as we have.
We also hope that their contributions will assist many more tradespeople to reach their goals. We are grateful to the assessors, tutors, and classroom instructors who patiently piloted our materials and who gave back invaluable insights and advice.
All Trade Essentials materials have been validated by teams of tradespeople who hold Certificates of Qualification, Red Seal Endorsement. We gratefully acknowledge the crucial contribution made by the following team members
