Hands-on Training
This 16-week Building Trades training program is primarily hands-on in nature and instructs students in the skills required to maintain electrical and HVAC systems, perform plumbing repairs and installations, carry out detail and finish carpentry, perform drywall installations and repair, paint and decorate using a variety of techniques and undertake all manner of interior finishing and installations.
Job Outcomes
93% of our students who were funded through grants from Service Canada, Employment Ontario and the Opportunities Fund are working in the trades within four months of graduating from our skills training programs. Graduates are working in a number of skilled trades jobs such as drywall installers, plumber's apprentice, carpenter's helper, commercial and industrial painters and decorators, electrician's apprentice, and interior finishers - including: tile setting, window installers, cabinet installers and various other skilled jobs.
Some of our graduates are working as Building Operators and Managers which involves utilizing all of the skills learned in this program to perform repairs and undertake renovations of residential and commercial properties and to oversee, supervise and coordinate the activities of tradespersons, helpers and installers.
The program is offered to persons receiving Employment Insurance benefits now or within the past three years or up to five years for those who received parental benefits, to persons receiving Ontario Works benefits (Social Assistance), and through the Opportunities Fund for People with Disabilities. Self paying applicants are also welcome; however, our Private Career College does not accept OSAP applicants.
Building a Knowledge Base
While our training methods are primarily hands-on in nature, it is necessary to build a strong understanding of the theory behind the lesson. Classroom training is essential to ensure that all students work in a safe and constructive way when they hit the shop floor.
Most of our students are adult learners and many have not stepped foot in a formal learning environment in decades. Our informal approach and interactive training methods take the anxiety out of the experience.
Learning by Doing
The most effective way to teach a person the skills they require to work in the Building Trades is to demonstrate the skills and then let them do it themselves. Our fully equipped training facility is designed to simulate a real world working environment. Our simulator is a full scale reproduction of a building interior complete with fire-rated doors, door jambs, baseboards, drywall walls, drop ceiling and lighting fixtures. There is also a plumbing booth complete with work stations to practise the installation and repair of toilets, sinks and faucets. The electrical component allows our students the opportunity to safely work with mock-ups and demonstration tables, complete with devices and circuits in a way that demystifies electrical systems.
On the Job Learning
Work Experience Placements are an integral part of the learning experience and allows the student the opportunity to put into practice the skills they learned in the classroom. Placement hosts give our students a chance to build upon their training in a real-world environment. The placements are invaluable, as the employer often provides a work reference and the opportunity to gather work experience in the field that can be included in the student's resume. Many of our students are offered employment through the Placement Host or indirectly through contacts made while on the work experience placement.
Building Trades
2010 program start dates:
January 4
March 15
May 24
August 2
October 11
