“ When a company invests
in supporting and training
apprentices, everyone benefits:
the apprentices, the company
and the industry.”
THE APPRENTICESHIP ADVANTAGE:
TOP
FIVE
RECRUITING TOMORROW’S WORKERS TODAY
Are you looking to attract young workers to your business? Have you considered
apprenticeship? At the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum, we’ve learned that successful
apprenticeship programs are a magnet for young talent. Hiring young apprentices shows
that you’re committed to investing in your employees and their careers.
WHY HIRE YOUNG APPRENTICES?
Investing in apprentices is about succession planning. Canadian employers have told us
that they view apprenticeship as a way to support their business goals now and well into
the future. You may feel that you have a very strong workforce today. Yet, at some point,
your most experienced journeypersons will retire. By investing in apprentices, you’re investing
in the future of your company and ensuring knowledge transfer to your future workforce.
Through apprenticeship, you’ll find top candidates who are motivated, skilled and eager
to learn.
WHERE TO FIND YOUNG APPRENTICES
We surveyed 400 apprentices, and they tell us they’re searching for apprenticeships in the
following ways:
• Job Bank websites or similar websites
• Career fairs
• Job ads in newspapers
• Potential employer websites
• Talks at high schools where potential
employers come to meet students
• Meetings with technical trainers
• Union halls
• Employer/employee matching services
There are also services for employers that can help you connect with potential apprentices,
including:
• Employer associations may connect you with candidates who want to work in your
industry
• Apprenticesearch.com helps Ontario employers connect with candidates who want to be
apprentices
HOW TO CREATE
A POSITIVE
APPRENTICESHIP
EXPERIENCE
A commitment to giving
apprentices a positive experience
will help your business attract
and retain future apprentices.
We’ve asked apprentices what
would make an employer
attractive to them. Here are the
top five things they’re looking for:
1
2
3
4
5
A JOURNEYPERSON WILLING TO
TEACH THEM
THE POTENTIAL FOR CAREER
ADVANCEMENT
A POSITIVE WORK
ENVIRONMENT
A VARIETY OF WORK
EXPERIENCES
A CHANCE TO WORK
WITH STATE-OF-THE-ART
TECHNOLOGY AND EQUIPMENT
• Youth apprenticeship programs available across the country seek placement for
apprentices at the high school level
• Local technical training institutes and colleges often run job fairs and other networking
events to connect employers with those engaged in pre-apprenticeship programs
Finally, you may want to look for specialty programs in your area. For example, the
Hamilton Skilled Trades Apprenticeship Consortium (HSTAC), based in Hamilton, Ontario,
offers employers a way to come together to share apprentices. Apprentices rotate between
registered employers, so that apprentices can obtain a variety of work experiences and
employers can see which candidates are a good fit for their business.
TO LEARN MORE
Our ApprenticeshipPays.com website provides a one-stop shop for everything you need
to know about apprenticeship. You can also find out more about hiring apprentices by
reading our reports, The Characteristics of Companies that Train and The Challenge of
Finding an Employer-Sponsor, available on the Reports and Resources page
at www.caf-fca.org.
www.caf-fca.org
THIS PROJECT WAS FUNDED BY
THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA’S
SECTOR COUNCIL PROGRAM