Adam Bridgman, director of training with the Carpenters’ Regional Council, says the accelerated pathway will be a good thing for students who already know they want to enter a trade. It will also help promote trades as viable career options for students and parents.On the minus side, details have been vague. High schools already need to make better connections with potential employers, Bridgman said.
This raises its own questions. Barr points out that Grade 11 students are young and may find the work intimidating. Meanwhile, colleges provide the in-school training that is part of apprenticeships. For most trades, the in-school portion is 30 hours a week, typically for between eight and 10 weeks, although it can be more. There are usually three levels to be covered over the course of an apprenticeship. It can be intense, he said.
There’s a training agreement between the apprentice and the sponsor that must be signed and registered. The apprentice earns money while working, usually starting at minimum wage and increasing as the apprentice moves up the skills ladder. The apprentice must also complete in-school training at a college. The entire process can take four or five years.
High schools already offer the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program, which allows Grade 11 students to explore apprenticeships through a co-op system, which was where Laflamme started. In Grade 12, a student can become a registered apprentice, with those hours credited towards the apprenticeship, as well as completing the first level of in-school training.
The program allows Grade 11 students to take trades courses at St. Paul High School as well as a math course tailored to the trades, plus a co-op placement with an employer and a dual credit with Algonquin College, said Mario Francoeur, head of the program.
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