There are certain steps to follow when applying for funding at Grand River Employment and Training (G.R.E.A.T.). First, you must register with G.R.E.A.T. by filling out our Client Registration Form and seeing the Intake Worker. Be sure you have all the proper identification including your status card and Social Insurance Number. Once you are registered you must make an appointment to see a Programs and Services Officer (P.S.O.). The P.S.O. will assist you in preparing an Employment Plan. Be aware that you are required to research the training institutes and/or courses that you wish to apply for. You must be prepared to give the P.S.O. details of the training you wish to pursue i.e. start dates, end dates, locations, type of certification, tuition fees, costs for books and materials and so on. An appointment will be scheduled to review information and discuss results.

If you are considering training and need G.R.E.A.T.’s assistance, we recommend that you register and consult a P.S.O. at least 1 month prior to the date you wish to start.

The diagram below outlines the process that you and G.R.E.A.T. must go through to reach your Training and/or Employment goals:

Six Nations members who are registered apprentices with the Ministry of Education and Training are eligible to participate in G.R.E.A.T.'s Apprenticeship program.

"It's an alternative education", says G.R.E.A.T.'s Blair Martin, "There are over 69 regulated trades and over 350 non-regulated trades so there's a lot of Apprenticeships available".

The Ontario government currently offers 2 Apprenticeship programs: the Apprenticeship and Certification Act and the Trades Qualification and Apprenticeship Act. Although both programs prefer applicants to complete their grade 12 education before beginning their apprenticeship, the Trades Qualification and Apprenticeship Act accepts applicants after completing the 10th grade.

Apprenticeships involve between 4000 and 9000 hours of training which translates to a term of 2 to 5 years. With 90% on-the-job training and 10% in-school instruction, participants have the advantage of earning a living while learning their trade. The province now charges participants a fee for the in-school portion of the program, for which GREAT offers financial support. During the in-school portion, apprentices may also receive EI or financial support from GREAT to offset their loss of wages.

Blair Martin has worked at GREAT as a Programs and Services Officer for 4 years. During this time he's focused most of his efforts on the Apprenticeship program: “What I find with our community is that people are focused pretty much on the same occupations -- welders, fitters, millwrights, iron workers or mechanics. They don't really look at some of the other fields available like the machine trades and arborists.”
Martin tells people to: “Take a look around at how many people are actually involved in trades: your iron workers, your mechanics, your carpenterters, your hair stylists, your cooks. They're all making a viable living and they're all working and making a good contribution to society.”

As the baby boomers retire, Canada is facing a critical shortage of trade labourers. This shortage has forced home builders in Toronto to import 500 skilled tradesmen from overseas to fill the void. With only 39% of construction workers under the age of 35 in 1999 down from 52% in 1987, Canadians are missing out on jobs that often earn $60,000 to $85,000 a year (Globe and Mail, 04/05/02).

For more information on Apprenticeship programs please contact G.R.E.A.T.