Apprenticeship is hands-on training for people who enjoy learning by doing. Approximately twenty per cent of the apprentices’ time is spent on technical training while the other 80 per cent is spent learning on-the-job.
Apprenticeship is the entry-point to a rewarding career and comes with an abundance of benefits and opportunities.
- Earn while you learn: Work while you learn your trade and in some cases your wages may increase with your level of skills. As an apprentice, you are being paid to learn your skills. Also, as you complete each level of training and required hours the government has tax grants and credits you can apply for.
- Flexible learning: Because technical training periods are relatively short and offered in various locations and times of the year, you can tailor your schooling to fit with your work schedule, and plan to attend school when it's a slow time in the season, or when it’s convenient for you and your employer.
- Become a skilled worker: At the completion of the program, you will receive a Certificate of Qualification in your trade.
- Attain a Red Seal Certification: Depending on the trade, there may be a national Red Seal certification attached to your Certificate of Qualification, which means that your expertise and industry-proven skills are formally recognized anywhere in Canada.
- Career Advancement: There are opportunities to advance from frontline to a supervisory and management role and on to even owning your own business.
- Better wages: As the demand for skilled workers increases, many trade professionals earn a higher salary than the national average income. In many occupations, those with a Certificate of Qualification get paid more and are promoted to higher positions than their uncredentialled counterparts.
