APPRENTICESHIP

TRAINING IN ONTARIO
A Guide for Employers and Sponsors
JUNE 2010

Apprenticeship Training in Ontario: A Guide for Employers and Sponsors | i

CONTENTS
Apprenticeship Training: The Process................................................................................iv

1. Overview........................................................................................................................................................................ 1

2. Assessing Your Training Capacity............................................................................................................................. 2

a. Examine the Apprenticeship Training Standard................................................................................................ 2
b. Identify the Person Who Will Train Your Apprentice. ........................................................................................ 2

3. Recruiting Your Apprentice......................................................................................................................................... 3

a. Review the Entrance Requirements for Apprentices. ...................................................................................... 3
b. Find Your Apprentice............................................................................................................................................... 3

4. Registering Your Apprentice....................................................................................................................................... 4

a. Arrange to Meet With Ministry Staff and Prepare for the Meeting............................................................... 4
b. Meet With Ministry Staff. ...................................................................................................................................... 4
c. Determine at the Meeting When Your Apprentice Will Attend Classroom Training.................................... 5
d. After the Meeting..................................................................................................................................................... 5

5. Monitoring Your Apprentices Training..................................................................................................................... 6

a. Oversee Your Trainer............................................................................................................................................... 6
b. Remind Your Apprentice of His or Her Responsibilities.................................................................................. 6
c. Keep in Touch With Ministry Staff....................................................................................................................... 7

6. On Completion of the Training................................................................................................................................... 8

7. Financial Incentives for Employers/Sponsors. ...................................................................................................... 9

8. Financial Help for Apprentices. ...............................................................................................................................10

9. The Legislation...........................................................................................................................................................11

10. Its Your Choice..........................................................................................................................................................12

Une publication quivalente est disponible en franais sous le titre suivant :

Formation en Apprentissage en Ontario : Guide pour les employeurs et les parrains.
 APPRENTICESHIP
TRAINING: THE PROCESS
Before Registering Your Apprentice
Confirm that there is apprenticeship training for your trade or occupation.
Confirm your businesss capacity to train an apprentice.
Identify your apprentice and who in your business will do the training.

Registering Your Apprentice

Schedule a meeting with an employment and training consultant from the Ministry of
Training, Colleges and Universities, who will:
confirm the eligibility of your apprentice, trainer, and business;
prepare the training agreement;
collect the $40 apprenticeship registration fee from your apprentice;
outline the financial incentives your business may be eligible for.

Training Your Apprentice

Ensureyour trainer and apprentice regularly review the training standard as competencies are
acquired.
Keep an accurate record of the hours your apprentice works.
Ensure that your apprentice is able to attend his or her scheduled classroom training.
Notify ministry staff of any changes to your business information or to the training agreement.
Ifeligible, apply for the Apprenticeship Training Tax Credit and other available
financialincentives.

On Completion of the Training

Confirm that your trainer and apprentice have signed off on the skills in the training standard.
Notify ministry staff once your apprentice has completed the workplace training.
Ministry staff will verify that your apprentice has completed the classroom training.
Ministry staff will schedule your apprentice for the certification exam, if applicable.

iv | Apprenticeship Training in Ontario: A Guide for Employers and Sponsors

1. OVERVIEW
Apprenticeship is the training program of choice for more than
35,000 employers, 120,000 apprentices, and 300,000 active
journeypersons in Ontario.

CAFs repor t, It Pays to Hire an Apprentice:

Calculating the Return on Training Investment
forSkilled Trades Employers in Canada at
[Link].

Ontario has apprenticeship programs for more

than 150 trades and occupations in four sectors:

construction

industrial/manufacturing

motive power
service

The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities

Apprenticeship training is a hands-on training program has produced fact sheets on the 58 trades that
in which the skills of a trade or occupation are have the most apprenticeship registrations. To find
learned in the workplace. This training is supple- out more about these trades, go to [Link]
mented by theoretical instruction delivered in a .[Link]/eng/employmentontario/training/
college of applied arts and technology or other [Link].
approved training delivery agency. Depending on
The steps youll need to take to register an appren-
the trade or occupation, apprenticeship training
tice in a program are outlined in Sections 2 to 4 of
programs take from two to five years to complete.
this guide.
Apprenticeship training produces skilled employees
Information about financial incentives for employers
who will help keep your business competitive and
and sponsors of apprentices and financial assistance
profitable. According to the Canadian Apprenticeship
for apprentices provided by the Ontario and federal
Forum (CAF), whose membership includes employers,
governments is given in Sections 7 and 8 of
unions, and educators, employers receive an average
this guide.
benefit of $1.47 for every $1 invested in apprentice-
ship training. To learn more about the return-on-
investment aspect of training apprentices, see the

Apprenticeship Training in Ontario: A Guide for Employers and Sponsors | 1

 2. ASSESSING YOUR
TRAINING CAPACITY
Your government is here to help. Employment and training
consultants with extensive knowledge of apprenticeship are
available to assist you as you make your way through the
apprenticeship training process.

a. E
 xamine the Apprenticeship Training
Standard

The training standard for the trade or occupation

your prospective apprentice would be registered in
will guide you in assessing whether you have the
equipment, facilities, and materials necessary for
the apprentice to learn the skills of the trade on the
job. At your request, an employment and training
consultant (ETC) will visit your worksite to help you
assess your training capacity (see Section 4 for
information on how to contact an ETC).

b. Identify the Person Who Will Train Your Ministry staff will also assess your capacity to train
Apprentice an apprentice by looking at the ratio of apprentices
to journeypersons in your workplace. For some trades,
For some trades, trainers and journeypersons are
ratios are regulated. For those trades that are not
legally required to have a Certificate of Qualification
regulated, ETCs have guidelines to help them decide
to train apprentices. For trades that do not require
whether the ratio in a workplace is adequate.
certified trainers, the trainer or journeyperson must
hold either a Certificate of Apprenticeship or a
Certificate of Qualification, or be assessed as
functioning at the journeyperson level. This assess-
ment is based on his or her past training and work
experience. An ETC from the ministr y can come
to your worksite to assess your trainers eligibility
to train.

2 | Apprenticeship Training in Ontario: A Guide for Employers and Sponsors

3. R
 ECRUITING YOUR
APPRENTICE
a. Review the Entrance Requirements for Consider
hiring a high school student through
Apprentices the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program
([Link]/eng/apprentice
Your apprentice must be 16 years of age and meet [Link]).
the minimum education requirements stipulated for
the trade or occupation in which he or she is Advertise
in newspapers, or on job boards or
interested (e.g., most construction trades require the Internet.
Grade 10; most other trades and occupations
Use
the Ontario Job Bank ([Link]) to
require Grade 12).
advertise your need for an apprentice free of
charge.
b. Find Your Apprentice
Usethe matching database at
T alk to your employees and find out if one of them [Link] to find an apprentice,
is interested in becoming an apprentice. or browse the website to find additional information
 heck for leads with organizations such as
C and resources on apprenticeships.
trade/industry associations, unions and joint
training committees, local secondary schools,
and colleges.

Apprenticeship Training in Ontario: A Guide for Employers and Sponsors | 3

 4. REGISTERING YOUR
APPRENTICE
Once youve determined that you have the capacity to train an
apprentice and have found someone to train who meets the
entrance requirements for the apprenticeship program, you
are ready to register him or her. The steps in the registration
process are outlined in this section.

a. A
 rrange to Meet With Ministry Staff Gather the following yourself for the meeting:
and Prepare for the Meeting
a list of the apprentices and journeypersons
Call the apprenticeship office nearest you currently employed by your company (unless
to arrange for a meeting with an ETC that you this information is already on file with the
and your apprentice will attend. To find the ministry and has not changed since it was
nearest office, call the Employment Ontario last provided)
Hotline (toll-free: 1-800-387-5656; Toronto: if applicable, the number of hours your
416-326-5656; TTY: 1-866-533-6339 or prospective apprentice has worked for you
416-325-4084) or go to [Link]/ to date and the date on which he or she
eng/[Link]?chosen=4. started working for you
 ave your apprentice collect the following for
H Note: Before the meeting, ministr y staff will
the meeting: contact you to confirm that you and your apprentice
have obtained the necessary documentation for
 roof of academic standing (e.g., school
p
the meeting.
transcripts or copy of diploma)
social insurance number (SIN) card
b. Meet With Ministry Staff
 roof of identity and date of birth
p
(e.g., drivers licence, birth certificate) At the meeting, the following will take place:
 ocuments confirming previous trade-related
d The
ETC reviews the pertinent training standard
education and work experience for possible with you and your apprentice.
credits
Youand your apprentice supply the ETC with the
$40 registration fee
information gathered in preparation for the
meeting (see Section 4.a).

4 | Apprenticeship Training in Ontario: A Guide for Employers and Sponsors

 which is based on industry-approved curriculum
standards, consists of two to four levels,
depending on what is required for the trade or
occupation. In general, each level of the training
may be completed in one of the following ways,
Your
apprentices education and prior work depending on availability at the chosen
experience, if any, are assessed to determine delivery agency:
how much of the learning that has already
full-time, usually six to twelve weeks
taken place can be recognized/credited on
registration. part-time, generally one day or two eve-
nings per week (September to June)
Your
apprentice receives instructions about his
online
or her recordkeeping responsibilities.
Your
apprentice states which of the available
Your
apprentice pays the registration fee of $40
options he or she prefers. This preference is
and is given a receipt.
taken into account in a discussion about which
You,
your apprentice, and the ETC sign the training of the options best suits all parties. Once this
agreement. You and your apprentice each receive option is determined, it is recorded by the ETC.
a copy.

The
d. After the Meeting
ETC arranges for the agreement to be
registered. Theoption for classroom training recorded at
the meeting is entered in the ministrys data-
c. D
 etermine at the Meeting When base, and an Offer of Classroom Training is
Your Apprentice Will Attend generated and sent to your apprentice and to
Classroom Training you.

The
ETC outlines the available options for the Your
apprentice confirms attendance directly
classroom training at approved training delivery with the training delivery agency after receiving
agencies, such as colleges of applied arts and the Offer of Classroom Training. Instructions for
technology, union/employer training centres, confirming attendance are provided in the offer.
and other private institutions. The training,

Apprenticeship Training in Ontario: A Guide for Employers and Sponsors | 5

 5. MONITORING YOUR
APPRENTICES TRAINING
a. Oversee Your Trainer Regarding classroom training, the apprentice must:

Ensure that your trainer is: confirmwith the training delivery agency that
he or she will attend the training as set out
teaching the apprentice the skills set out in the in the Offer of Classroom Training on receipt
training standard; of the offer and, at the same time, pay the
signing off on the skills acquired by your apprentice classroom fee. Note that if confirmation and
as they are learned. payment are not made in a timely manner,
the apprentice risks losing the chance to
attend that particular class;
b. R
 emind Your Apprentice of His or Her
contact ministry staff to reschedule the
Responsibilities
training if he or she is unable to attend at
 egarding training in the workplace, the apprentice
R the allotted time;
should: notifythe ministry if he or she has concerns
r eview the training standard with the trainer regarding readiness for the classroom training
on a regular basis and ensure that the skills or is having difficulty with the training.
are signed off on by him or her and the trainer
Regarding
the apprenticeship program in general,
as they are acquired;
the apprentice must notify the ministry if he or she:
k eep an accurate record of the hours
worked, as he or she will need to report this changes his or her mailing address;
information to the ministry when the training isunable to complete his or her training in
is completed or when he or she leaves your all of the required skills in the training
employment; standard with an employer or sponsor;
 otify the ministry if he or she leaves the
n begins
working for a different employer or
employer or sponsor or finishes the appren- sponsor.
ticeship training program.

6 | Apprenticeship Training in Ontario: A Guide for Employers and Sponsors

c. Keep in Touch With Ministry Staff Contact ministry staff if:

Notify
the ministry if there are changes in your you have questions or concerns;
businesss: your apprentice leaves your employment.
facilities,
equipment, or staffing that could To find the nearest apprenticeship office, call
affect your ability to train or supervise your the Employment Ontario Hotline (toll-free:
apprentice; 1-800-387-5656; Toronto: 416-326-5656;
location, mailing address, or legal name. TTY: 1-866-533-6339 or 416-325-4084) or go to
[Link]/eng/[Link]?chosen=4.

Apprenticeship Training in Ontario: A Guide for Employers and Sponsors | 7

 6. ON COMPLETION
OFTHE TRAINING
When your apprentice has completed the program
requirements for a trade or occupation, he or she
will, depending on the trade or occupation, receive
one or both of the following certificates from the
ministry:

the Certificate of Apprenticeship, which recognizes

that an apprentice has successfully completed the
formal training program in a trade, a requirement
of which may be passing a certification exam;
the Certificate of Qualification, which is issued to
an apprentice who has passed a trade examination.
To pass the exam, candidates must achieve a
minimum score of 70 per cent.

A Letter of Permission allows an apprentice who

works in a restricted trade (a list of the 21 restricted
trades is available at [Link]/eng/
/employmentontario/training/[Link])
and who has received his or her Cer tificate of
Apprenticeship to work as a journeyperson in his
ministry staff verifies that his or her classroom
or her trade or occupation for three months while
he or she prepares to write the certification exam. training has been completed;
if
the trade or occupation requires it, he or she
An apprentice receives both the Certificate of writes a cer tification exam (66 of the 150
Apprenticeship and the Certificate of Qualification trades require it) and pays a $100 exam fee.
once the following takes place:
The Interprovincial Standards Red Seal (or Red
he or she reports to the ministry that he or she Seal) Program ([Link]) provides an
has completed the workplace training and met interprovincial standard of excellence for the
the requirements of the training agreement, and skilled trades that is recognized by industry. Many
submits a signed-off apprenticeship training Ontario trades are part of the Red Seal Program.
standard. The signed-off training standard In these trades, workers who successfully chal-
demonstrates that an apprentice has learned lenge a Red Seal trade examination receive a
the skills established by industr y that are Certificate of Qualification with a distinctive red
essential for being a skilled worker; seal that is recognized across Canada.

8 | Apprenticeship Training in Ontario: A Guide for Employers and Sponsors

7. FINANCIAL INCENTIVES
FOR EMPLOYERS/
SPONSORS
A number of financial incentives are offered by the Ontario and
federal governments to help you train apprentices.

Ontario assists employers by paying a portion of The Apprenticeship Training Tax Credit
the cost of an apprentices classroom training. ([Link]/en/credit/attc/[Link]) is a
The apprentice pays a classroom fee to cover the refundable tax credit available to employers or
remaining cost. sponsors who hire and train apprentices in certain
skilled trades. The maximum credit available to
The $2000 Employer Signing Bonus ([Link]. employers or sponsors is $10,000 per qualifying
.[Link]/eng/employers/emp_bonus.html). apprentice per taxation year. Employers and spon-
encourages employers or sponsors in the trades sors are eligible to receive the credit for four
to register new apprentices in sectors where there is years. To download an application form for this
a high demand for skilled workers. program, go to [Link]/en/credit/attc/
[Link].

The Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit

([Link]/whtsnw/[Link])
is a non-refundable tax credit equal to 10 per
cent of the eligible salaries and wages paid to
eligible apprentices with respect to employment
after May 1, 2006. The maximum credit is $2000
per year for each eligible apprentice.

The Employer Bonus provides $1000 to employers

or sponsors whose apprentices complete an appren-
ticeship program in any trade or occupation.

Apprenticeship Training in Ontario: A Guide for Employers and Sponsors | 9

 8. FINANCIAL HELP FOR
APPRENTICES
A number of grants and loans are available to help apprentices
begin and complete their training. Since these grants and loans
are incentives for apprentices, they also aid you in the recruiting
process.

The Apprenticeship Scholarship ([Link] The Apprenticeship Incentive Grant

.ca/eng/apprentices/app_schol.html) provides ([Link]/eng/workplaceskills/
a $1000 scholarship to young people who partici- trades_apprenticeship/AIG/[Link]) is a
pate in apprenticeship programs if they: taxable cash grant of $1000 per year that is
available to registered apprentices once they have
have completed academic upgrading; successfully completed the first or second year or
are employed; level (or equivalent) of an apprenticeship program
in one of the Red Seal trades (see Section 6). The
are registered as apprentices. AIG helps apprentices cover some of the expenses
related to tuition, travel, and tools.
The Support to Non-EI-Eligible Apprentices provides
grants of up to $1500 per term to apprentices who The Apprenticeship Completion Grant
are not eligible for employment insurance to help ([Link]/eng/workplaceskills/
cover their costs while they go to school. trades_apprenticeship/acg/[Link]) is a $2000
taxable cash grant available to registered appren-
The Loans for Tools Program ([Link]/
tices who successfully complete an apprenticeship
eng/apprentices/[Link]) [Link].
training program and obtain certification in a Red
an interest-free loan to help them buy the tools and
Seal trade (see Section 6).
equipment they need to perform the tasks of the
trade in which they are registered. The Apprenticeship Completion Bonus in Non-Red
Seal Trades ([Link]/eng/
The Tradespersons Tools Deduction ([Link]-arc
apprentices/[Link]) is a one-time $2000
.[Link]/whtsnw/[Link]) provides employed
taxable benefit given to apprentices who complete
apprentices with a tax deduction of up to $500 to
apprenticeship training and receive certification in
help cover the cost of new tools necessary for their
a non-Red Seal trade.
trade.

10 | Apprenticeship Training in Ontario: A Guide for Employers and Sponsors

9. THE LEGISLATION

Apprenticeship training and certification are In October 2009, the Ontario government passed
currently governed by: the Ontario College of Trades and Apprenticeship
Act, 2009. This act, which establishes the Ontario
the
Trades Qualification and Apprenticeship Act, College of Trades ([Link]/eng/
R.S.O. 1990 (TQAA) for most construction collegeoftrades/), will replace the TQAA and the
sector trades; ACA by 2012. The College of Trades will encourage
the
Apprenticeship and Certification Act, 1998 more people to work in the trades and give
(ACA) for service, industrial, and motive power industry a greater role in governance, certification,
trades, and some construction trades. and training.

Apprenticeship Training in Ontario: A Guide for Employers and Sponsors | 11

 10. ITS YOUR CHOICE
In Ontario, there are registered apprenticeships in more than
150 trades and occupations. In only 21 of these trades and
occupations are workers required by law to be registered
apprentices or have a Certificate of Qualification.* This means
apprenticeship training remains largely a matter of choice for
you and your employees.

Employers of workers in all trades and occupations Training

includes instruction in safe workplace
for which apprenticeship training is available benefit practices, and a safer workplace is beneficial to
from the training for many reasons, including the employee morale and enhances productivity.
following:

 pprentices acquire skills and knowledge that

A F or more information about apprenticeship training
adhere to internationally recognized standards, or to find the nearest apprenticeship office,
making your workplace more productive and call the Employment Ontario Hotline (toll-free:
competitive. 1-800-387-5656; Toronto: 416-326-5656; TTY:
1-866-533-6339 or 416-325-4084) or go to
 pprentices apply the theory they are learning in
A [Link]/eng/[Link]?chosen=4.
the classroom in a real setting, while also learning
to work cohesively as part of a team.

T he quality of the training results in fewer

mistakes and less downtime.

*For a list of these 21 trades and occupations, go to

[Link]/eng/employmentontario/
training/[Link].

12 | Apprenticeship Training in Ontario: A Guide for Employers and Sponsors

 09-266

ISBN 978-1-4435-2519-0 (PDF)

ISBN 978-1-4435-2520-6 (TXT)

Queens Printer for Ontario, 2010