No Shortage of Options With Apprenticeship Programs

When one thinks about apprenticeship programs, certainly there are several obvious industries that come to mind. For example, automotive mechanics, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and welders are some of the few categories of employment associated with apprenticeship-style training. What most of these have in common is their obvious hands-on technical skill-set.

But today, not all apprenticeship positions are reserved for just these kinds of industries. Many new areas of expertise are taking advantage of the combination of theoretical and practical education given through colleges with apprenticeship programs. Here are some examples of programs and how they utilize the apprentice system to best prepare aspiring career professionals.

Child and Youth Workers

Child and youth workers are specialists working with young children, teenagers, and their families, helping them establish optimal environments for the children with an emphasis on self-esteem and positive growth. With sufficient in-class training activities will get the opportunity through an apprenticeship program to get agency placement to continue learning while working as an apprentice.

Early Childhood Educators

Early childhood educators, or child development practitioners, work with very young children to encourage and ensure a meaningful experience for the child's independence and decision-making skills. Mixing theoretical training with a college's on-site family-resource programs helps the smooth transition from learning to doing. Placements for the apprentice can be in daycare centres, nursery schools, and parent-child drop-in centres. One could also focus on working with children with special needs or learning disabilities.

Social Workers

Developmental social workers use a variety of skills to help improve the quality of life of individuals, families and communities that must deal with developmental disabilities. Some of the skills taught in a college program and continued through apprenticeship work include psychology, social policy, public administration and human development studies. Apprentices can expect to continue their training in community agencies, special needs agencies, and school boards.

The above programs, unlike the obvious service style jobs like automotive apprenticeships, focus more on social and community development. Below are some examples of the more typical apprenticeship programs in the service-industry.

    Horticultural technicians, studying grass and plant care, water conservation, and development and maintenance of landscape construction. Apprentices can work in nurseries, golf courses, municipal parks and botanical gardens.
    Instrumentation and control technicians, gaining the skills to repair, maintain and calibrate industrial controlling and measuring instrumentation. Apprenticeship programs often have placements with mining companies, chemical manufacturers, steel producers and pulp and paper processing plants.
    Tool and die maker, getting theoretical and practical experience making and modifying tools for industries while getting a background in metallurgy and blueprint interpretation. An apprentice can focus his experience on making, inspecting or operating machining tools

Because apprenticeship programs are opening up to an ever-increasing variety of careers, we are ensuring future generations with the best-trained and most-highly skilled practitioners of so many of our leading industries.

Visit Mohawk College for information on the apprenticeships in Ontario.

Michael Zunenshine is a Copywriter at Higher Education Marketing, a leading Web marketing firm specializing in Google Analytics, Education Lead Generation, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Mobile SMS Alerts, Social Media Marketing and Pay Per Click Marketing, among other Web marketing services and tools.