International briefing 28: training and development in Quebec

• Published in: International journal of training and development Vol. 17; no. 1; pp. 76 - 91
• Main Authors: Foucher, Roland, Hassi, Abderrahman
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.03.2013; Wiley-Blackwell
• Subjects: Adult Education; Canada; Corporate Education; Economics; Educational Development; Educational Legislation; Employment; Federal Legislation; Federal Regulation; Foreign Countries; Government Role; Labor Market; Partnerships in Education; Population Distribution; Public Policy; Quebec; Small Businesses; Training; Unions; Vocational Education; Canada
• ISSN: 1360-3736; 1468-2419
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2419.2012.00418.x

This briefing examines training and development (T&D) in Quebec, one of 10 provinces and three territories that make up Canada. Quebec has three distinguishing characteristics that encourage analysis of its T&D separately from that of Canada as a whole. First, it is the only North American region with a majority francophone population. Second, government regulation of the labour market is the most extensive in North America. Third, the percentage of workers who are unionized is the highest in North America. The authors first outline the background of T&D in Quebec, mainly by describing the evolution of the education system. Second, they explore the legislation which makes compulsory the investment in T&D for organizations that have a payroll exceeding 1 million Canadian dollars (CAD). The briefing highlights the fact that the legislation and concerted action between the social partners are the main determinants of T&D practices in Quebec. Given the importance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Quebec economy, the authors then present an overview of training practices in SMEs. Despite increased participation and investment in T&D, it is still limited in SMEs and this remains a challenge for Quebec. (Contains 8 tables and 2 footnotes.)