In partnership with the Ontario Centre for Workforce Innovation (OCWI), The Centre for Skills Development & Training (The Centre) is implementing and evaluating a new model of shared apprenticeship called the Ontario Adult Apprenticeship Program (OAAP).
Young adults interested in apprenticeship can enroll in the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) while still in high school, but the majority of adults wanting to pursue an apprenticeship do not have access to a similar program. Through OAAP, The Centre will implement a shared apprenticeship model targeted at adults who are not registered in OYAP or signed on with a union and act as a third-party broker between adult apprenticeship candidates and a consortium of employers.
The Centre will support apprentices as they make their way through the stages of their apprenticeship, form a consortium of employers willing to rotate apprentices through their businesses for on-the-job training, and bear some of the administrative burdens of the apprenticeship system for both the apprentices and consortia employers. The long term goal of OAAP is to increase the number of fully qualified journeypersons.
This initiative will also focus on engaging small to medium sized enterprises (SME’s) in apprenticeship by providing hands-on support navigating the apprenticeship system, with a long term goal of increasing the number of fully qualified journeypersons. “With over 100,000 skilled tradespeople needing to be replaced due to retirement in the next 15 years, the demand for skilled trades workers is more prevalent than ever before,” says Danielle Scott, Ontario Adult Apprenticeship Program Lead. “Apprenticeships benefit both the apprentice and the company, as these workers are able to develop skills in their field of work. The Ontario Adult Apprenticeship Program is looking forward to supporting small to medium sized companies in building their skilled workforce.”
Participants in the pilot are adult students who have participated in The Centre’s pre-apprenticeship programs and are seeking shared apprenticeship opportunities in Carpentry, Electrical, Millwrighting and Machining.
For more information about the project or to get involved please contact:
Danielle Scott, Ontario Adult Apprenticeship Program Lead
The Centre for Skills Development & Training
Phone: 905-333-3499 ext. 331 or 1-888-315-5521
Email: scottd@thecentre.on.ca