Thank you for agreeing to take a cooperative education student this semester.  During the past school year more than 1700 students from the Grand Erie District School Board participated in the cooperative education program.  Of the 1700 student participants over 800 explored apprenticeable occupations and 150 students were registered as apprentices.  Students following this route are part of the Grand Erie District School Board’s Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP).  OYAP students earn cooperative education credits for t

heir work experience AND begin logging hours towards their chosen trades, while completing their Ontario Secondary School Diploma.

The commitment to OYAP across the province is in response to the anticipated shortage of skilled trades people in the years ahead.  It may interest you to know  the average age of a new apprentice in Ontario at the present time is 26.  Teachers hope that with a greater emphasis on apprenticeship opportunities at the secondary level, they may attract students into the trades at a much earlier age.

I would encourage you to evaluate the apprenticeship potential of the student you are working with this semester.  If you are pleased with the student’s work ethic and performance, the cooperative education teacher can facilitate the registration of the student as an apprentice, at any time during the placement, by working our contact with the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.  Several students are now taking cooperative education at both the grade 11 and 12 levels, in order to accumulate as many hours as possible towards their trade requirements.

Teachers recognize that trade competencies are very demanding and would welcome feedback on the performance of their students.  Please be candid with the teachers as they visit, so that our schools can better prepare our students for the skilled trades.

Over the last few  years interest in apprenticeable occupations has grown within our board, we would like to thank you - the employer - for supporting our programs and ensuring our students meet with success.  If you have any questions regarding the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program please call Suzanne Cass at (519) 754-1606 ext. 239 or email casssuz@gedsb.net.

Sincerely,

 

Suzanne Cass
OYAP Coordinator

ONTARIO YOUTH APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM

Registering Students as Apprentices

Suzanne Cass -School to Work Officer
GrandErieDistrictSchool Board

  1. High school cooperative education students can be officially registered as apprentices while still in school;  this gives them a head start on the hours demanded for their chosen trade

 

  1. Employers are encouraged but not obligated to continue the apprenticeship training at the end of the cooperative education placement
  2. Cooperative education students sponsored for apprenticeships are exempt from the ratios of apprentices to journeypersons demanded by the construction sector trades; if the student is hired to work outside of the Work Education Agreement form, all normal trade regulations apply
  3. Students are exempt from the one-time $40.00 apprenticeship registration fee
  4. Pay is recommended once students are registered as apprentices, although it is not mandatory as long as students are receiving cooperative education credits
  5. Workplace Safety and Insurance Coverage is provided by the Ministry of Education during scheduled cooperative education hours; the employer assumes responsibility for WSI coverage if the apprentice receives a wage, and for any work done beyond the agreed upon cooperative education hours
  6. Once registered, students are allowed to perform duties that are considered to be restricted tasks; this allows the student to more fully participate in skills related to the trade; cooperative education students who are not registered as apprentices are only allowed to complete non-restricted skill sets (ie. Hairstyling and all Motive Power trades)
  7. Student apprentices receive credit for skills completed in the Apprenticeship Training Standard
  8. Registered students are eligible to post their resume as an apprentice on the website: www.apprenticesearch.com
  9. Employers hiring apprentices in July, who will be returning to school in September, may be eligible for a provincial training subsidy through the Summer Job Service Program
  10. Employers hiring apprentices full time after graduation may be eligible for a provincial training subsidy through the Job Connect Program or a federal subsidy through the Youth Internship Program
  11. Students working in the Motive Power, Service or Industrial trades are obligated to complete their Ontario Secondary School Diploma or their apprenticeship will be terminated

 

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Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program