What is an Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP)?

• OYAP is a School to Work program that opens the door for students to explore and work in apprenticeship occupations starting in Grade 11 or Grade 12 through the Cooperative Education program.

 

• An OYAP student earns cooperative education credits for work experience in an apprenticeship occupation.  The student may or may not be formally registered as an apprentice while attending high school.

 

• Students have an opportunity to become registered apprentices and work towards becoming certified journeypersons in a skilled trade while completing their secondary school diplomas.

 

The goals of OYAP are:

• To provide students with the opportunity to start training in a skilled trade while completing the requirements for an Ontario Secondary School Diploma;

• To enable students to make the school to work transition by direct entry into apprenticeship training;

• To provide employers with the opportunity to train the skilled workers they require;

• To provide a viable solution to address the problem of skilled tradespeople shortages in general, and specifically the lack of young people joining the trades.