Construction Sector Council (CSC)

This document is designed to assess the readiness of anyone planning to enter the carpentry trade. It offers an opportunity to practise the skills of reading text, document use, and numeracy, and also provides a review of the math foundation skills that will be needed during technical training.

The Canadian Operating Engineers Joint Apprenticeship and Training Council (COEJATC) has spearheaded a movement to develop and implement national training standards in its field.

The Construction Sector Council (CSC) has forecasted that growth in the sector and the retirement of workers will put pressure on the labour force and affect the availability of workers over the long term. To meet demand for these highly skilled workers, the construction industry must maximize all available labour pools including youth, women, First Nations, immigrants, and older workers.

The research behind this report establishes a link between Essential Skills upgrading during early apprenticeship training and return on training investment for employers. The report contains three major sections: the impact of offering Essential Skills training for apprentices; the impact on return on training investment; and lessons learned from applying Essential Skills interventions.

Trades instructors looking for practical ways to teach Essential Skills to apprentices studying a trade will find useful information in this publication. It provides tips and strategies for teaching Reading, Document Use and Numeracy.

The Construction Sector Council (CSC) held this workshop to introduce a range of approaches to upgrading Essential Skills. The results of the workshop are documented in this report. It includes information on various trade approaches and participants’ suggestions for additional Essential Skills initiatives that would assist the construction industry.

Designed for educators, trainers, tradespeople, apprentices, and people considering construction careers, this collection of activities links Essential Skills with workplace applications. Students use the workbook to practice Essential Skills, including Reading, Document Use and Math, by doing exercises based on actual construction materials and situations.

Designed for educators, trainers, tradespeople, apprentices and people considering construction careers, this Essential Skills workbook offers exercises that students can use to refresh their math skills. The curriculum-based exercises are built around typical construction workplace tasks.

Based on Essential Skills foundations and developed by experienced training professionals, this workbook is designed to help instructors develop math worksheets for apprentices in technical training settings. Users learn how to incorporate Essential Skills into worksheets that will meet instructional goals and help apprentices to learn essential trades math.