Skilled trades · Ontario
Get into the skilled trades
Where to start in Grades 5 to 8, in high school, or between 18 and 30. Every fact comes from an official page, and where we could not confirm something we say so. Free, no sign-up.
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Three doors
Where are you right now?
The trades are open to all three, but the first step looks different at each stage.
I'm in Grades 5 to 8
Explore and try things with your hands. Learn what a trade actually is before anyone asks you to pick one.Things to tryI'm in high school
OYAP, SHSM, co-op and Skills Ontario competitions let you start earning credit and experience before you graduate.Your optionsI'm 18 to 30
Apprenticeship, free pre-apprenticeship training, and how to find the employer or union that signs you on.How to start
The route in
What are the skilled trades, and how do you get into one in Ontario?
In Ontario you learn most skilled trades as an apprentice. A sponsor, such as an employer or union, signs a training agreement with you and registers it with Skilled Trades Ontario. You then spend about 80% of the program working on the job and about 20% in class, over two to five years.
Check you can apply
Skilled Trades Ontario says you must be at least 16, have legal permission to work in Canada, meet the education requirement for your trade, and have an Ontario sponsor.Find a sponsor
The sponsor is responsible for making sure you get all the training in your program. Skilled Trades Ontario lists employers, unions, non-union consortiums, colleges, Employment Ontario and your own network as ways to find one.Apply and sign the training agreement
If you are 18 or older you apply through the Skilled Trades Ontario Portal. If you are 16 or 17 you apply by email or mail with a parent or guardian's consent. Once approved, you and your sponsor sign a training agreement, which registers you as an apprentice.Train on the job and in class, and log your hours
You get an Apprenticeship Training Standard Logbook that lists the skills and tasks you need to master. Skilled Trades Ontario describes the program as alternating on-the-job and in-school training.Get certified
On completion you earn a Certificate of Apprenticeship. In trades with a certifying exam you can also earn a Certificate of Qualification, and for some trades a Red Seal endorsement, which Skilled Trades Ontario describes as a national standard that makes it easier to work across Canada.
To legally work in a compulsory trade you must be a registered apprentice, a Provisional Certificate of Qualification holder or a Certificate of Qualification holder.
You do not need to be a registered apprentice or certified journeyperson to legally work in a non-compulsory trade. Many people still choose to certify, because employers value it.
Sources: Skilled Trades Ontario, Starting your apprenticeship and About trades. Requirements differ by trade, so check your trade's page on skilledtradesontario.ca before you plan around any of this.
Grades 5 to 8
What can you try if you are in Grades 5 to 8?
Mostly you explore by doing. Skills Ontario runs hands-on workshops for Grade 7 and 8 school groups at its provincial competition, and summer camps for students entering Grades 7 to 9. For Grades 5 and 6 we found no official program, so ask your teacher or school board what exists locally.
Things that exist
- Skills Ontario elementary workshops
Skills Ontario says these are open to Grade 7 and 8 students enrolled at an elementary school, who do two 40-minute hands-on workshops and a career showcase tour at the provincial competition in Toronto. Schools register groups, so ask your teacher.
- Skills Ontario Trades and Tech Summer Camps
Skills Ontario says its camps are for students entering Grades 7 to 9 the following school year, and run at colleges and other host sites in July and August. Dates, locations and fees change every year, so read the camp page before you plan.
Also worth asking your school: does it have a technology or shop class you can try, and does any local college hold an open house? We have not listed any specific school or college event, because those are set locally.
Four things to try at home
Each needs only paper, a free video and something you already own. None involves tools, power, or anything that is not yours. If a step would, skip it.
Draw a circuit. Find a diagram of a light on one switch, then draw it from memory. Paper only: touch no wiring. See the electrician guide.
Find the water shut-off. Look for where the main shut-off is, and the one under a sink. Write it down and do not turn anything. See the plumber guide.
Measure carefully. Draw a square with sides measured to the millimetre, then check it with a second ruler. How close were you, and did being off bother you? See the machinist guide.
Plan a small build on paper. Pick something simple, like a shed. List the steps in order and draw which ones must wait for another. Then pretend a delivery is a week late. See the construction manager guide.
High school
What can you do in high school to get into a trade?
Three routes sit inside high school. OYAP lets you earn co-op credits working in a trade from age 15, once you are in Grade 11 or 12 with 14 credits. SHSM bundles 8 to 10 courses, certifications and co-op in one sector. Skills Ontario holds competitions you can qualify for.
- Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP)Per ontario.ca: earn high school co-op credits through a work placement in a skilled trade and get a head start on an apprenticeship. You must be at least 15, in Grade 11 or 12 (or equivalent) and have earned at least 14 credits. OYAP-FAST lets Grade 11 and 12 students take more apprenticeship learning while working toward the diploma. Apply through your school board's OYAP recruiter, guidance counsellor or co-op teacher.ontario.ca
- Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM)Per ontario.ca: earn your diploma while focusing on one of 19 sectors, including construction, manufacturing and transportation. You complete a bundle of 8 to 10 courses, earn certifications such as first aid and CPR, and gain on-the-job skills through co-op, and your diploma gets an SHSM seal.ontario.ca
- Skills Ontario competitionsSkills Ontario lists qualifying competitions that lead to its provincial competition, and Ontario competitors can go on to the Skills Canada National Competition and WorldSkills. Ask your technology teacher how your school takes part.Skills Ontario
- OYAP in OntarioOur guide to the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program.Our guide
- SHSM in OntarioOur guide to the Specialist High Skills Major.Our guide
Skills Ontario also lists conferences for young women and programs for First Nations, Métis and Inuit youth on its site. Talk to your guidance counsellor early: co-op and OYAP placements are arranged through your school.
18 to 30
How do you start at 18 to 30 with no experience?
You have two doors: find a sponsor and register as an apprentice, or take free pre-apprenticeship training first. Pre-apprenticeship runs up to 52 weeks, includes safety training, academic upgrading, basic in-school training and an 8 to 12 week work placement. Employment Ontario helps you find and apply.
Per ontario.ca, it is for people who want to work in a trade but do not yet have the skills or experience to get hired as an apprentice. Training is offered by colleges and community agencies, and there is no cost, including textbooks, safety equipment and tools. To find an organization, contact Employment Ontario.
Skilled Trades Ontario names these routes: an individual employer, a union, a non-union consortium, a college, Employment Ontario, or your own network. Which fits depends on the trade and where you live, so call a few and ask what they look for in a first-year.
Money for apprentices
The Government of Canada's apprenticeship grants page says the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant and the Apprenticeship Completion Grant both closed on March 31, 2025. It still lists the Canada Apprentice Loan: up to $20,000 interest-free for registered apprentices attending technical training. Check that page for the current rules before you count on any of it.
Or start your own business
Many tradespeople end up working for themselves. If that is where you are headed, these guides cover the Ontario basics.
The numbers
Which trades pay the most and have openings?
The table below ranks Ontario trades by median hourly pay, using Job Bank's published figures for jobs that usually need a college program or an apprenticeship and employ at least 500 people. Outlook stars compare expected openings with people looking. Pay is a provincial middle, not a promise.
| Job | Outlook 2025–2027 | Median pay | Women | Usually needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Railway and yard locomotive engineers | Good | $56.09/hr | 7% | Short programme or training |
| Power system electricians | Good | $50.85/hr | <5% | College or apprenticeship |
| Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers | Moderate | $45.96/hr | <5% | College or apprenticeship |
| Electrical power line and cable workers | Good | $45.00/hr | <5% | College or apprenticeship |
| Ironworkers | Moderate | $44.34/hr | <5% | College or apprenticeship |
| Elevator constructors and mechanics | Moderate | $43.50/hr | <5% | College or apprenticeship |
| Industrial electricians | Moderate | $40.50/hr | <5% | College or apprenticeship |
| Crane operators | Moderate | $40.48/hr | <5% | College or apprenticeship |
| Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectorsOur guide | Good | $38.00/hr | 5% | College or apprenticeship |
| Bricklayers | Good | $38.00/hr | <5% | College or apprenticeship |
| Electrical mechanics | Limited | $37.50/hr | 6% | College or apprenticeship |
| Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanicsOur guide | Good | $37.00/hr | <5% | College or apprenticeship |
| Gas fitters | Moderate | $36.06/hr | <5% | College or apprenticeship |
| Telecommunications line and cable installers and repairers | Limited | $36.00/hr | <5% | College or apprenticeship |
| Concrete finishers | Moderate | $35.70/hr | <5% | Short programme or training |
The full best-trades rankingEvery job in Ontario
Job Bank (Employment and Social Development Canada, from Statistics Canada data), read 5 October 2026. Groups in the 72 and 73 trades families that usually need a college program or an apprenticeship, with an hourly wage and at least 500 people employed in Ontario. Not every trade appears.
Career guides
Which trades have a Launch League guide?
Each guide below covers what the work is really like, who hates it, Ontario wages from Job Bank, the route in, and a short experiment to test whether you would like it. They cover a slice of the trades, not all of them, so a trade you do not see may still be worth a look.
- WelderJoining metal so it holds, usually to a drawing, usually to a tolerance somebody will inspect.Career guide
- CarpenterBuilding the structure of things out of wood and steel, to a drawing, outdoors, in whatever the weather is doing.Career guide
- ButcherBreaking carcasses and primals into cuts people will buy, with sharp knives, cold rooms and a counter to stand behind.Career guide
- BakerMixing, shaping and baking bread, pastry and cakes, which means starting in the dark and being done by early afternoon.Career guide
- ChefRunning a kitchen: the menu, the crew, the costs and the timing, usually during hours when everyone else is out having dinner.Career guide
- CookMaking food to order or in batches, fast, hot and the same way every time, usually in a kitchen that is too small.Career guide
- ElectricianInstalling and fixing the wiring that every other trade on a site depends on, mostly inside walls somebody else already closed up.Career guide
- PlumberInstalling and repairing the pipes that bring water in and take waste out, which means being needed most when something has already gone wrong.Career guide
- HVAC technicianInstalling and fixing the heating, cooling and refrigeration equipment that people only think about when it stops working.Career guide
- MillwrightInstalling, aligning and repairing the heavy machinery inside factories and plants, so the line keeps moving.Career guide
- Automotive service technicianDiagnosing and repairing cars and light trucks, which now means as much laptop and scanner as wrench.Career guide
- MachinistCutting metal into precision parts to a drawing, where being off by a hair means the part goes in the scrap bin.Career guide
- Heavy equipment operatorRunning the machines that dig, grade and lift on construction and civil sites, with a lot of waiting and a few minutes of exact work.Career guide
- Construction managerRunning the schedule, budget and people on a building project, and being the one phoned when any of those three goes wrong.Career guide
- Auto body technicianRepairing and refinishing damaged vehicles so a car that was crushed on Monday looks untouched on Friday.Career guide
In development
Are there Launch League trades bootcamps?
Not yet. There are no dates, no prices and no locations, and no partners to name. The idea is short, hands-on, practical introductions to the trades for teens and adults. If that sounds useful, join the interest list and we will email you when there is something real to say.
Joining the list is not a registration and not a promise that a bootcamp will run. It only means we write to you if and when one has dates. We will not fill the list with guesses.
Tradespeople, employers and training partners
If you want to teach, host a session or hire young people coming out of the trades, get in touch. A conversation is all it is for now: nothing is arranged with anyone yet.
Also for
Is there help for veterans, women and parents?
Yes. Veterans can start with Helmets to Hardhats Canada, which connects veterans, military members and their families to careers in the unionized construction industry. Women can read our women-in-trades guide. Parents can read our apprenticeship guide and our comparison of university, college and apprenticeship.
Veterans
Helmets to Hardhats Canada: Connects veterans, military members and their families to careers in the unionized construction industry, including apprenticeships in the building trades.
Women
Who does each trade today, what it pays, and where to find support.
Parents
What apprenticeship means for your teen, and how it compares with the other routes.
Apprenticeship: a parents' guideUniversity, college or apprenticeship
Not sure which trade?
Start with what you like doing
Launch League is free for students in Ontario. The career quiz is a good first step before you pick a door.