By J. Alex Gibson
LO Eastern Ontario Apprenticeship

Over the past several months, the Landscape Ontario team has traveled across the province promoting the benefits, incentives and perks of the Apprenticeship Program. As a result, we have seen a positive increase in apprenticeship registration across the entire province, with more employers taking advantage of the program. Currently, we have assisted over 80 employers/staff with registering for the 2016 season. With the help of your LO team, registration is easy and hassle-free. Why not join the growing movement across the province to develop and train the future of your workforce?
 

What is Apprenticeship?

Apprenticeship, offered through the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development (formally the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities) in conjunction with the Ontario College of Trades, is a training and skills development program for your current staff. The program is a mix of 20 per cent in-class training and 80 per cent on-the-job, hands on work experience. Employee apprentices work with your company trainers to complete the required on-the-job competencies log-book for the program. The two in-class training sessions are offered at five colleges across the province and are approximately 12 weeks in length (usually January through to the first week of April). The apprenticeship takes approximately three to four years to obtain all program requirements and apprentices who complete these requirements and successfully pass their final exam will also gain Red Seal status — a training designation recognized across Canada.
 

Here are the top five reasons to register an apprentice today:

1. Financial incentives
   Employers who sponsor staff in apprenticeship are entitled to a tax credit as well as a $1,000 bonus for each apprentice that completes the program. Apprentices have the opportunity to collect $4,000 in grants and can access a number of loans and bursaries.
2. Easy access
   Landscape Ontario will support employers and apprentices from registration to program completion. A number of companies across the province have accessed our support service with great success. We will work to ensure the process is hassle free.
3. More confident staff
   Staff participating in the program will gain valuable skills in the profession. The in-class sections of the program will help staff learn new skills and competencies that they may not encounter in everyday work. This knowledge will make staff more confident in handling new situations that may arise when they are on-the-job.
4. Staff retention Participating employees need to log approximately 5,400 hours of on-the-job work experience in order to complete the program. They work with their employer to gain these hours, learning valuable on-the-job skills and standards that are set by the company. The Apprenticeship Program provides the opportunity for the employer to develop and integrate a staff member into different roles within the company.
5. Cost effective Participation in the Apprenticeship Program is essentially free for employers. Employers are primarily responsible for ensuring enrolled staff work to complete their training competency log book and attend in-class training when it’s beneficial and available. Apprentices only have to pay a yearly Ontario College of Trades fee of approximately $67 and about $650 for each term of schooling.

Want to meet with us?

Let us help you train and develop your staff. The LO apprenticeship team will be in the following regions below. If you would like us to visit your office/work site for an individual consultation, please contact us and we would be happy to oblige.
LO Ottawa Chapter Meeting: October 18, 2016
Upper Canada Region: October 24, 2016

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For information or to register for the Apprenticeship Program visit horticulturetechnician.ca, contact Alex Gibson at 613-809-5093 or apprenticeship@landscapeontario.com.

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