Carpentry Apprenticeship - Okanagan CollegeCarpentry Education in CanadaCarpentry and Woodworking Programs -- Community College Programs
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Carpentry Apprenticeship - Okanagan College What is an apprenticeship? An apprenticeship is a method of learning a trade through a combination of periods of in-class, technical/theoretical education and periods of paid, on-the-job training. During the latter portions of an apprenticeship, the student (apprentice) will work, in an indentured capacity, under the direction of a certified, journeyperson member of the trade one is learning, for a specific period of time. A journeyperson is an individual who has earned the standards of practice of his/her trade. In British Columbia, apprenticeships are under the authority of the Industry Training Authority of BC, (ITA). A carpentry apprenticeship will normally take 4 years to complete, including a minimum of 5,000 hours of work experience and 720 hours of classroom instruction. . The wage an apprentice earns depends on various factors such as education/training, experience, and economic aspects like supply and demand. An apprentice can, however, start at about 40 to 50 percent of what a journeyperson would earn in the trade being learned, and increasing with each progression in the various stages of the apprenticeship. The advantage of completing an apprenticeship is not only that one acquires in-depth knowledge and skills in a trade but also that, within the latter, one's career opportunities and salary potential are normally increased. Furthermore, once an individual has obtained journeyperson status, he/she may be eligible to have his/her certification as such endorsed by the Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program (Red Seal). The latter enables the journeyperson to practice his/her trade throughout Canada, provided the trade is designated in that locale, without undergoing further examinations. How does one become an apprentice? To be eligible for an apprenticeship, candidates will usually have completed a minimum of Grade 10, or equivalent, including English 10, Mathematics 10, and Science 10. Some potential students may be required to successfully write an entrance examination. In some cases, the aforementioned pre-requisites may be waived. Furthermore, before a person can enter an apprenticeship program, he/she must find a qualified (journeyperson) employer willing to apprentice him/her. The responsibility for finding an employer ultimately rests with the person wanting to be apprenticed. However, ITA and Okanagan College both offer programs that may help students obtain employment or, at least, increase their respective employability. For example, ITA sponsors a special program for high school students, the Secondary School Apprenticeship (SSA). Through the SSA, students may begin an apprenticeship while in secondary school that involves them working part-time, for pay, and simultaneously receiving credits for high school. Students in the SSA can have up to 2 years of training in their respective trades by the time they graduate high school. Okanagan College, on the other hand, offers the Carpentry/Joinery and Residential Construction programs. Students may also complete a relevant program at another institution and then apply to Okanagan College to complete its Carpentry Apprenticeship program. The advantage of completing a relevant program before seeking to be apprenticed is that the graduate often finds favour with potential employers because he/she has obtained the skills required to become immediately productive on the job, and thus may find sponsorship easier to come by. Moreover, a person who possesses previous education, training and/or work experience in the trade in which he/she wants to be apprenticed may be eligible to receive time credits towards the apprenticeship program and/or may be able to challenge the latter's technical training portion. Before an individual can be officially indentured, he/she and his/her employer must officially register with ITA. When the apprentice has found an employer, the former must contact ITA. The latter may request an interview with the employer and/or apprentice prior to approving the apprenticeship. During the interview, the qualifications and suitability of the employer and goals of the apprenticeship, among other things, will be determined and finalized. The employer and apprentice must sign an official agreement detailing the apprenticeship, such as its objectives, course, and rules, among other things. Once the apprenticeship has been approved, the apprentice may proceed to apply to Okanagan College's Carpentry Apprenticeship for the technical/theoretical component of the apprenticeship.
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