Aboriginal Apprenticeship INITIATIVE

The Aboriginal Apprenticeship Initiative

Are you an Aboriginal person, living in Alberta, who is interested in working in the trades?  If you are, the Aboriginal Apprenticeship Initiative is designed for you.

The Aboriginal Apprenticeship Initiative builds on the success of the former Alberta Aboriginal Apprenticeship Project.  The Initiative assists qualified Aboriginal people to enter and complete an apprenticeship program. The Apprenticeship consultants:

• work with employment centres to find and prepare Aboriginal people to register as apprentices in a trade of their choice;
• work with industry to find employers wishing to hire, register and train Aboriginal apprentices through the Initiative; and
• follow-up with apprentices and employers to assist apprentices in the completion of their programs and the receipt of their trade certificates.

The Initiative currently operates in Edmonton and Fort McMurray.

How does the Aboriginal Apprenticeship Initiative Work?

If you are Aboriginal and want a career in the trades, the first step is to go to an employment centre.  The employment centre will assist you with:

• exploring various opportunities to work in the trades and choose the best one for you;
• ensuring you already have, or help you to obtain, the required qualifications to enter an apprenticeship program;
• writing a resume and collecting the required documentations to apply to  participate in the Initiative; and
• registering you to write the apprenticeship entrance examination, if required.

If you are selected to participate in the Initiative, you will be called by the apprenticeship consultant to attend an orientation session on the apprenticeship system and the Aboriginal Apprenticeship Initiative.  The apprenticeship consultant will work with you to arrange your job interviews with employers, take you to the job interviews and help you through the hiring process.

When you are offered a job from an employer, the apprenticeship consultant will ensure your apprenticeship application form is completed and will take it to the Apprenticeship and Industry Training office for you.
Once you are a registered apprentice, the apprenticeship consultant will continue to assist you by:

• visiting you and your employer on a regular basis to discuss your progress;
• helping you to register for technical training and arranging for a tutor, if required;
• ensuring your Record Book is updated by your employer and stamped by Apprenticeship and Industry Training so that you continue to progress through your program;
• being available for you to call if you are having any problems on-the-job or at technical training and assist you in resolving those issues; and
• assisting you with applying for the many scholarships that are available to Aboriginal apprentices.

For more information on the Aboriginal Apprenticeship Initiative:

In Edmonton call (780) 427-5901

In Fort McMurray call (780) 747-6500.