This paper examines the effects of union membership on completion rates among Canadian apprentices. Previous research by Holmes and Singh indicated that indenture class – among other variables – was an important predictor of completion probabilities of B.C. construction trade apprentices. To further examine this relationship, completion rate comparisons based on union membership are presented for a national sample of apprentices across all trade categories. This analysis is further elaborated by selected institutional and individual difference variables. The latter include age, gender, educational level, prior work experience, and region. As well as detailing first-order relationships among these indicators, prediction models are constructed to explore their relative contribution to completion rates. The data for this analysis were obtained from the 1994/5 National Apprenticed Trades Survey.  The resulting national profile of completion rates – emphasizing the role of union membership – extends and qualifies the work of Holmes and Singh and provides a useful empirical basis for developing research priorities and directions in the important area of apprenticeship training.

This paper is an initial examination of the National Apprenticed Trades Survey  and serves to introduce a broader program of research based on those data and on similar data obtained from the National Graduate Survey and the Adult Education Training Survey. The larger project will explore the transition to journeyperson status and – within the transitions framework – the returns to investment in apprenticed training.  A second goal is to explore the concept of alternation training as practiced in universities, colleges, proprietary schools, and apprenticeships. The project will be outlined during the presentation and comment invited on it’s purposes, methodology, and policy implications.