On June 7, 2021, George Brown College (GBC) will introduce its first cohort of students to a free, 32-week governmentally-funded, Industrial Millwright Pre-Apprenticeship program. 

The program was a result of providing students, parents, and other working adults an opportunity to transition into post-secondary or study a trade-related subject. Even though there are only 20 spots within the program, more than 120 hopeful students have applied. 

The program coordinators are also working with WoodGreen Employment and Training services, along with the Centre of Construction and Engineering Technologies to provide a practical curriculum for students. 

“The target audience is a mix, male or female, anyone who is unemployed, or under service agencies,” said Sacha Bradley, projects coordinator at GBC. “We want to target anyone; youth at risk, newcomers, single parents, and people who naturally don’t think they will transition into post-secondary.” 

Within the program, students will be able to explore hands-on options and access support systems, workshops, and conflict resolution lessons. Students will also complete a 280-hour work placement along with 15-weeks of training in class. 

“The curriculum is the exact same for a Level 1 apprentice,” said Bradley. “So you can only be an apprentice coming to GBC or coming into the pre-apprenticeship programs. It’s not on the roster or the course calendar.” 

Therefore, Bradley says that the program may be the right fit for the candidate who is having a challenging time breaking into the construction industry. 

“The idea is now if someone is taking our program and having a hard time breaking into the industry, they have their first level 1 training, which is equivalent to what an apprentice takes,” said Bradley. “It shows commitment in the industry, and I find in the trades they are very hesitant in letting people in unless they are going to be committed.”

To join the program, students will have to meet the specified admission criteria, which states that they have to be at least 18-years-old, eligible to work in Ontario, a permanent resident or Canadian citizen, and have access to a computer or internet while being able to commit to the full 32-weeks. 

Students will also have to fill out an application form and complete a personal interview before being offered admission into the program. 

“[In the interview], we are just evaluating the fit, looking at the person where they are, and seeing if they are able to make this type of commitment,” says Bradley. “We want to figure out where people are at, and make sure we accept the right candidates.”

Although GBC has been offering plenty of pre-apprenticeship programs within the past decade or so, the demand for skilled trades have been increasing in Ontario, with some estimating that the construction industry will be short of 100,000 tradespeople within a decade. Therefore, Bradley says that she hopes to continue partnering internally, within the college, and externally to offer students similar experiences. 

“I hope we will be able to continue with these programs,” said Bradley. “Every year we have to apply, so we try to talk to the different divisions within the college to figure out who is interested in partnering with us to do a pre-apprenticeship, and it has been like this for the last decade.”