Looking for a job in the trades? Support Ontario Youth can help
Support Ontario Youth is a registered charity providing support to apprentices and employers to streamline the apprenticeship pathway in Ontario. To tell us more, we welcomed the executive director of Support Ontario Youth, Stephen Sell.
The Government of Ontario supported the charity with $4-million targeted specifically to run boot-camps.
There are two different boot-camps, one at high schools and one that is an adult camp. The one coming to Hamilton is the high school boot-camps. It is designed for Grade 12 students in Specialist High Skills Majors, or the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program.
“One of the big successes of the boot-camps is actually getting people employed in a trade or in an apprenticeship,” Sell said. “They may not get an apprenticeship right away, but the experience can lead them there.”
Support Ontario Youth takes on the role as sponsor for apprentices working with predominately small employers. They work with these employers as well by helping them navigate the apprenticeship pathway.
The boot-camps are structured in three parts:
- Hands on tools training
- Employability skills
- Employer engagement
Sell says the first pilot that ran in 2020 saw ten people hired directly out of the boot-camp.
He explained the benefits of getting a job in the trades.
“Do you want to be your own boss? Do you want to be an owner-operator? Do you want to work the regular shift? There are so many opportunities,” Sell said. “Trades is a well paying career. Most electricians are making six figures…and when you come out of your apprenticeship, you typically don’t have debt because you’re earning as you’re learning.”
For more information on Support Ontario Youth, click here.
