OTTAWA — There are some within the trucking community who would like to see trucking become an apprenticed occupation, while others at the very least are pushing for a national training standard.

A recent report from Statistics Canada reveals the success apprentices can have after completing their program, but also outlines some important roadblocks some students had in completing a chosen program.

Nationally, 88 percent of apprentices who completed their program were employed, compared with 82 percent of those who did not finish. Those who completed were also more likely to have full-time jobs and receive substantially higher wages.

While it might not be a big revelation that apprentices who completed a program are more employable than someone with without full qualification, the report also gave a glimpse into the reasons a student might choose another path.

There are a number of factors to explain why discontinuers left their apprenticeship program. The reason most often cited by discontinuers – 16 percent – for not completing their program was not enough work in the trade to warrant continuing or insufficient income as an apprentice to meet their requirements.

About 10 percent of discontinuers stopped their program because they had received a better job offer. A further 8 percent of apprentices discontinued their program because they wanted to change jobs or careers, became self-employed or lost interest.

An additional 8 percent of discontinuers stopped because they disliked the work or the working conditions, while 4 percent discontinued their studies as a result of employer, company, or union issues, including problems such as the employer discontinuing the apprenticeship program or not following the rules.

As well, 3 in 10 discontinuers reported a diverse range of other reasons for not completing their apprenticeship program.