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Education/training

Apprenticeship: Getting started

The skilled trades are rich in fulfilling and lucrative career opportunities, but finding an apprenticeship to break into the trades can be tricky.

SHARON ASCHAIEK

[ 2008-02-27 ]

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www.apprenticesearch.com may be your best bet to landing an apprenticeship with an Ontario employer.

"The website creates awareness about the trades and provides connections between potential apprentices and employers," says Dianne Seed, project manager for apprentice search.com.

Created by the Halton Industry Education Council, this free website features a step-by-step process that covers how to how to find the right trade for you, where to look for an apprenticeship, how to promote yourself to employers, and what to do when you actually score an apprenticeship.

FINDING AN APPRENTICESHIP:

There are seven different ways to pursue an apprenticeship, depending on your timeline, budget and other factors.

1. Traditional route

The apprenticeship-seeker is responsible for finding an employer that will sponsor him or her. Once that happens, both parties register with the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities' Apprenticeship Office, sign an apprenticeship contract, and the training period begins.

2. Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP)

This option is geared toward high school students who can complete a for-credit co-op placement in a skilled trade. Successful OYAP placements can lead to paid employment and continuation of an apprenticeship after graduation.

3. Union or industry-approved training

Some unions and trade associations run their own training centres and hold apprenticeship contracts instead of employers. Links to unions and trade associations can be found at: www.apprenticesearch.com/fpLinks/links.asp.

4. College

Individuals may choose among many diploma programs in the skilled trades offered by the province's colleges. These typically two- to three-year programs often include a paid workplace component, which make graduates more appealing candidates to employers. Links to Ontario's colleges can be found at: www.apprenticesearch.com/fplinks/link_new.asp?titleid=26.

5. Co-op diploma apprenticeship programs

These new programs allow students to pursue both a college diploma and an apprenticeship at the same time. Further information can be found at: www.apprenticesearch.com/fpWhats_new/MoreTradesAnnon.asp.

6. Pre-apprenticeship programs

These programs provide training in a specific trade to help prepare for apprenticeship. They are less than a year long, and the organizations that offer them often assist with job placements. Additional information is available at: www.apprenticesearch.com/fpWhats_new/programs.asp.

7. Private career colleges

The programs at these schools vary in length, expense and effectiveness in placing students in apprenticeships. Further information is available on the Service Ontario website: www.serviceontario.ca/pcc/.

No matter what avenue you take to pursue your apprenticeship, you need to do some preliminary work first to adequately prepare.

CONSULT WITH A CAREER COUNSELLOR:

Knowing what trade suits you best has a lot do with how well you know yourself. A career counsellor has the information, resources and tools to help you assess your skills, interests and abilities. Counsellors can be found at high schools, post-secondary schools and local employment agencies -- search apprenticesearch.com for contact information.

RESEARCH:

Before you jump into an apprenticeship, it's vital that you research the different trades jobs to discover which ones suit you best. Opportunities in the skilled trades are vast and fall into four different sectors: construction, service, industrial and motive power.

Apprenticesearch.com features descriptions on more than 130 trades, along with self-rating quizzes that highlight the aptitudes and interests essential to that trade.

"The more extensive your research, the better positions you're going to find," says Art Mayer, employer recruiter with apprentice search.com. "Someone who has gone through these steps will put themselves in a better position to find an apprenticeship with an employer."

Other research strategies include performing information interviews with individuals already working in the trade that interests you. To find such a tradesperson, consult with family, friends, teachers or career counsellors for a referral, or directly contact unions or companies you find online or in the phone book. Develop some detailed questions for your interview that will help you learn about the job's main responsibilities and the qualifications it demands. Inquire about an opportunity to job shadow the individual for a day so that you may better determine if you'd enjoy that particular trade.

To find out how to continue preparing to pursue an apprenticeship, see part 2 of this story on page5.