- To access an apprenticeship course in any trade, you must already be working in the trade and be sponsored by an employer.
- If you are not currently working in a trade, you should contact employers and Employment Ontario service agencies to look for opportunities. For more information on Apprenticeship opportunities, please contact Skilled Trades Ontario by phone at 647-847-3000 or Toll-Free in Ontario at 1-855-299-0028, Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm EST.
- There are three levels of schooling required for most trades, with a few only requiring two levels and electrical requiring four levels.
- The in-school portion is a very small portion of your apprenticeship program (approximately 10%). Most of the learning (90%) you will experience on the job. For example, 6500 hours are required “on the job” for the AST – Automotive Service Technician Trade.
- You must have what is called a “Training Standard” book signed off by your employer. Outlined in the Training Standard book are all the competencies that individuals will need to acquire before they can approach Skilled Trades Ontario to request that they write their Certificate of Qualification exam.
- It is a good idea to talk to other individuals who are working in the trade to learn more about what it might be like to work in that profession. Doing this may help you to make contacts in the industry to find employment.
General process for Apprenticeships
The apprenticeship programs are not actually run through St. Clair College it is operated by Skilled Trades Ontario. Basically, Ontario will use colleges and universities' physical spaces to run their programs; so, your first point of contact will be with them on how to become an apprentice.
- You must find a job or be employed as an apprentice in the field you want
- You and your employer will sign you up with Skilled Trades Ontario to be an apprentice
- You will go on a waitlist with the Skilled Trades Ontario to receive an offer to go to school
- Skilled Trades Ontario will email you an offer of classroom training to the college/university you plan to attend or have been assigned to
- This is the step when you can enroll with St. Clair. You will use that offer of classroom training from Skilled Trades Ontario to register for the program with us
- If your schooling is full-time, you can usually collect Employment Insurance benefits while you attend school, provided you have been working long enough to have accumulated the hours required to meet the eligibility requirements of Employment Insurance. You can find information on other loans and grants here.
Information specific to St. Clair College Programs
St. Clair College offers many post-secondary programs to help give you the hard skills that employers are looking for in the various skilled trades.
St. Clair College offers the following one-year certificate programs:
St. Clair College offers the following two-year Diploma programs delivered in less than one year:
St. Clair College also has the following two-year Diploma programs that lead to the trades: