Is a skilled trade a good choice? What parents should know

An apprentice is an employee. Most of the training is paid work for the employer who sponsors them, with a few blocks of classes at a college. An electrician's apprenticeship in Ontario is 9,000 hours, 7,950 of them on the job.

Ontario's law sets no share of a full wage that an apprentice must be paid, but the minimum wage applies: $17.95 an hour from 1 October 2026. At that floor alone, 7,950 hours on the job comes to $142,703 before tax over the apprenticeship. Most employers pay more as the apprentice moves up each level.

Through the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program, a student in Grade 11 or 12 who is at least 15 and has at least 14 credits can work in a trade as a co-op placement and earn high school credits for it.

Ontario and Canada add money on top of the pay. The Ontario Tools Grant pays $400 to $1,000, depending on the trade, after the first level of class and a year registered. Apprentices in Red Seal trades (the trades with a national standard) can borrow up to $4,000 interest-free for each period of class through the Canada Apprentice Loan, and get a $5,000 federal Red Seal Completion Bonus for certifying on or after April 1, 2025, with applications opening November 16, 2026. Finishing a trade that is not Red Seal earns a $2,000 Ontario completion bonus.

While in class and away from work, an apprentice may get Employment Insurance, and the Apprentice Development Benefit pays up to $500 a week to those who do not get it or get less than $500.

An apprenticeship starts when an employer agrees to train the apprentice. That is where most young people get stuck. Employment Ontario has over 700 offices that give free one-on-one help and match apprentices with sponsors; its number is 1-800-387-5656.

A student not ready for that can take a free pre-apprenticeship program: up to a year at a college or community agency, with tools and books covered and a work placement, which puts them in front of employers.