Train in vain? Estimating the influence of training participation on the labour market outcomes of Canadians during the 1990s

Transformations in the Canadian labour market during the 1990s such as the on-going emergence of post-industrial service or knowledge-based occupations, the growth of non-standard employment and increasing levels of educational attainment have prompted critical analyses about the relationship between training and labour market outcomes. Post-industrial and human capital perspectives on training and labour market outcomes argue that the accruement of skills by Canadians over time will lead them to the ‘good jobs’ that entail such characteristics as secure income attainment, employment security and adequate education-job match. But despite the participation of Canadians in training activities, the structural segmentation of the Canadian labour market suggests that training has inequitable returns; these disparities can be seen in the form of income inequality, increasing unemployment and underemployment. Using data from a series of surveys called the Adult Education and Training Survey, this dissertation presents findings regarding the influence of training participation on four labour market outcomes during the 1990s: income attainment, unemployment, subjective underemployment and involuntary part-time employment.; The dissertation is guided by two main explanations of training and labour market outcomes. Human capital explanations emphasis the role of supply-side or individual characteristics in income attainment. Other perspectives provide a demand-side or structural interpretation of training and labour market outcomes. Dual and segmented labour market perspectives and dual economy theory highlight the role of occupational and industrial segmentation in the explanation of training and labour market outcomes. Using these explanations as a foundation, a training and labour market model has been developed to predict the influence of aggregate and specific measures of training participation on the labour market outcomes of Canadians during the 1990s.; The analysis focuses on the following questions. What is the relationship between training and labour market outcomes during the 1990s? How has this relationship changed? What distinction can be observed between the influence of training incidents and training duration in the explanation of labour market outcomes? What training activities are most important in explaining the labour market outcomes of Canadians during the 1990s?; The dissertation examines the influence of individual, geographic and structural labour market characteristics on the relationship between training and labour market outcomes. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...