The Skilled Trades

Find a Career you Wouldn’t Trade

A skilled trade is a career path that requires hands-on work and specialty knowledge. By 2021, one in five new jobs in Ontario is expected to be in trades-related occupations. Employers are looking for skilled tradespeople who can help build and maintain our province and provide essential services.

Explore the Skilled Trades

Skilled trades workers build and maintain infrastructure like our homes, schools, hospitals, roads, farms and parks. They keep industries running and perform many services we rely on every day, like hairstyling, food preparation or social services.

Women in Trades

To help women learn the skills they’ll need on the job site and prepare for a career in a male-dominated industry, an increasing number of colleges are offering free or low-cost apprentice training programs geared specifically to women. There are also mentoring groups available to support women in their decision to pursue a career in skilled trades.

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Popular Resources

Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP)

The Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) is a School to Work program that opens the door for students to explore and work in apprenticeship occupations starting in Grade 11 or Grade 12 through the Cooperative Education program.

LISTEN & LEARN

Helpful Podcasts:

Goal Setting for the Apprenticeship Pathway
Electrician Apprenticeship Opportunities
Ironworker
Construction Craft Worker
OYAP Opportunities

Access Podcasts HERE

LEARN MORE ABOUT OYAP

WiTT Kits:
Women in Technology & Trades (WiTT) STEM Kits

WHAT ARE WiTT STEM KITS?

A curriculum kit looks at how ideas concepts and ideas in science, engineering, math, and technology work together to help students engage with STEM based curriculum and virtualizations in small achievable tasks. These kits are designed in concert with Women in Technology &Trades students at Mohawk College to ensure that the kits are interesting and appealing to a broad range of students.

Each kit provides guidance on the materials needed, suggested activities, and advice for both faculty and students on what the kit will help students to learn, and how to start using the kit. Where possible, curriculum targets for appropriate age groups and skill levels will be identified for each kit, which can be used to demonstrate, guide project work, or enable independent study for age appropriate levels.

Click here to learn more!

JobTalks

At JobTalks, hear directly from Canadians working in the skilled trades about what they do, why you should consider their job and how to get there. More videos can be found on its YouTube channel including many related to the construction industry.