Secondary school apprenticeship programs

ALBERTA

Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP)

The Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) lets you start apprenticeship training and earn wages while you’re completing high school. It also gives you access to other programs, including the Apprenticeship Training Program, Interprovincial Standard (Red Seal) Program, Prior Learning Assessment, and the Qualifications Certificate Program.

The program operates through an agreement between you, your employer and your school. You and your employer must complete an application/contract and send it to the Apprenticeship and Industry Training office to be registered.

Each year, RAP awards 500 Alberta students with $1,000 to help them continue in their apprenticeship programs.

There are also many apprenticeship scholarships available in Alberta that aren’t specific to RAP. Visit Apprenticeship and Industry Training for more information.

For more information, check out Apprenticeship and Industry Training.

Another option for getting a head start on your career while you’re still in school is to visit CAREERS: The Next Generation. CAREERS is dedicated to helping Alberta students explore career options through workplace internships.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Secondary School Apprenticeship (SSA)

The British Columbia Ministry of Education, Career and Applied Programs provide high school students with the chance to enroll in apprenticeship programs while finishing high school. The program offers $1,000 scholarships to eligible students.

To qualify you must be at least 15 years of age. For information on what kinds of work qualify for the program and about how to register, talk to your school’s career counselor or check out Industry Training and Apprenticeship Commission.

ACE-IT (Accelerated Credit Enrolment in Industry Training)

The ACE-IT (Accelerated Credit Enrolment in Industry Training) program is designed to help high school students get a head start on an apprenticeship in the piping trades while still attending high school.

For more information contact the Piping Industry Apprenticeship Board & UA Trade School.

MANITOBA

Senior Years Apprenticeship Option (SYAO)

This program lets you start an apprenticeship while you are still in high school. It combines regular Senior Years school instruction with paid, part-time, on-the-job apprenticeship training.

To qualify, you must be at least 16 years old. You must be taking core subjects S1-4, have completed S2 and be enrolled in an approved Manitoba S3 or S4 program.

You also need a qualified and insured employer. The SYAO coordinator will work with you, your employer and your school guidance counsellor to ensure that you meet the academic requirements to graduate, and to schedule work time when you are not taking classes.

For more information, talk to your school guidance counsellor or click here.

NEW BRUNSWICK

Youth Apprenticeship Program (YAP)

New Brunswick’s Youth Apprenticeship Program (YAP) is open to high school students completing Grades 10 or 11. The program gives you the chance to combine high school classes related to your career interests with on-the-job experience in the same field.

If you’re accepted into the program, you will work two summers for a minimum of 200 hours each year and receive a minimum of 100 hours of employability skills training. The training is delivered by professionals in the business community and takes place outside of regular school hours.

YAP provides you with a Record of Achievement that’s valuable as proof of your experience when you enter the workforce. Completion of the program also guarantees you a seat at New Brunswick Community College or preferred status at the University of New Brunswick in a program related to your work experience.

For more information, click here.

NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

Schools North Apprenticeship Program (SNAP)

The Schools North Apprenticeship Program (SNAP) lets high school students become registered apprentices. If you enrol in SNAP, you can earn both time credits toward a journeyperson certificate and secondary school credits through Career and Technology Studies (CTS).

To qualify for SNAP, you must be 16 years of age and be taking courses for a high school diploma.

You must also go through a trial employment period lasting from one to three months before your employer will decide whether to sign you to an apprenticeship contract.

For more information on SNAP, you can talk to your school principal, career counsellor or SNAP coordinator, or contact the Northwest Territories Ministry of Education, Culture and Employment.

NOVA SCOTIA

Workit Youth Apprenticeship Initiative

The Workit Youth Apprenticeship Initiative is open to youth between the ages of 16 and 19. Through the program, you’ll be able to work towards an apprenticeship in one of Nova Scotia’s designated trades while you’re still in high school, and earn money at the same time.

For more information, visit the Nova Scotia Department of Labour and Workforce Development’s Workit website.

ONTARIO

Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP)

OYAP is a year-round co-op work/study program for high school students. OYAP lets you work as a registered apprentice while you complete your Ontario Secondary School Diploma.

To qualify you must:

Be entering Grade 11 and be at least 16 years of age
Have completed 16 credits with a 70% average
Maintain a 70% average while you are in the two-year program

For more information, contact the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

Accelerated Secondary Apprenticeship Program (ASAP)

The Accelerated Secondary Apprenticeship Program (ASAP) is Prince Edward Island's youth apprenticeship program. It provides high school students with an opportunity to get a head start on their post-secondary apprenticeship training. Through a combination of on-the-job experience and course work, you can make money in the trade of your choice while earning credits toward both your apprenticeship and your high school diploma.

To qualify, you must be at least 16 years of age, enrolled in high school and employed full- or part-time in a designated trade.

For more information and to find out how to apply, click here.

QUEBEC

Quebec offers more than 450 vocational and technical education programs, which prepare students for the labour market in 21 sectors.

Vocational and technical programs operate under the apprenticeship system, which is run jointly by Emploi-Québec and the Québec Ministry of Education, Recreation and Sport. The programs include at least one session of on-the-job training. Some alternate between classroom and workplace training, others include workplace experience at the end of in-school training.

Vocational education

Vocational education is offered in public and private secondary schools.

There are three types of programs:

A Diploma of Vocational Studies (DVS)
An Attestation of Vocational Specialization (AVS)
A Vocational Education Certificate (VEC)

To enter a DVS program you must:

Hold a Secondary School Diploma (SSD) or the equivalent, or
Be 16 years of age by September 30 of the school year and have the Secondary III or IV credits, or the equivalent, required for your program

To enter an AVS program, you must have the prerequisite DVS or equivalent.

To enter a VEC program you must be at least 15 years of age and have passed the basic Secondary II courses in the language of instruction, mathematics and any additional credits required for the program.

Technical Education

Technical education is offered at the college level in CEGEPs and private institutions.

There are two types of programs:

A diploma of college studies, or Diplôme d’études collégiales (DEC), or
An attestation of college studies, or Attestation d'études collégiales (AEC)

To enter a DEC program you must meet the requirements of pre-university programs that lead to a DEC.

To enter an AEC program you must:

Have interrupted your studies for two consecutive terms or one academic year
Have completed at least one year of post secondary studies

AEC programs are developed by colleges in partnership with government and industry. They are only available for some construction trades. Ask your school counsellor for more information or visit the Québec Ministry of Education, Recreation and Sport Inforoute.

SASKATCHEWAN

Saskatchewan is developing a youth apprenticeship program and will implement it in 2005-06, if resources allow. In the pilot program, which is being run in two high schools in 2005, students receive apprenticeship credit and work experience.

For more information contact the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission.

YUKON

Yukon Secondary School Apprenticeship Program (YSSAP)

YSSAP is open to Grade 11 and 12 students who would like to explore a construction career and complete high school at the same time. The program involves a semester of pre-apprenticeship courses and unpaid work placements that will help prepare you for employment as an apprentice.

For more information, talk to your school guidance counsellor or check out the Yukon Department of Education, Advanced Education website.

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