RESCON Calls for Behavioural Science Overhaul to Boost Stagnant Apprenticeship Completion Rates — The Residential Construction Council of Ontario

Event summary

RESCON president Richard Lyall advocates for behavioural science to improve apprenticeship completion rates in skilled construction trades.
An independent report, 'Are We Ready to Build Canada?', identifies behavioural barriers in apprenticeship recruitment, training, and retention.
Apprenticeship completion rates in Canada have remained at 20% of registrations since 2013, despite high demand for skilled labour.
The report suggests redesigning training policies to better reflect human factors influencing training outcomes.

The big picture

Canada's construction industry faces a critical skills gap, exacerbated by stagnant apprenticeship completion rates and economic pressures. The report highlights that behavioural barriers, such as uncertainty and misaligned incentives, are as significant as economic factors. Addressing these could unlock billions in lost GDP and tax revenues, while positioning the industry to meet evolving economic demands driven by AI and U.S. policy shifts.

What we're watching

Policy Redesign: How behavioural science integration will affect apprenticeship program design and outcomes.
Economic Impact: The pace at which improved completion rates could boost GDP and worker incomes.
Industry Adoption: Whether other sectors will adopt behavioural science approaches to address similar training challenges.