Sunday, February 1, 2026

CLAC Supports the Next Generation of Skilled Workers in Ontario

By Michael Kamminga, Jobs Coordinator

Over the past few years, CLAC has helped support hundreds of co-op students from independent high schools across Ontario with co-op placements and participation in the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP).

With our delivery partner, Edvance, we continue to see strong results. This initiative, funded through Ontario’s Skills Development Fund (SDF), was created to help high school students gain hands-on experience and grow their skills in the trades through co-op placements.

Together with Edvance, we’ve been able to support students and their schools in several key ways:

Building partnerships with employers to secure meaningful co-op placements
Giving co-op teachers the tools and information they need to promote careers in the skilled trades
Forming partnerships with other organizations, including Skilled Trades Ontario, to help students succeed beyond their placements and bring new schools into the program
Providing important health and safety training, such as WHMIS and Working at Heights, for students entering construction-related co-ops
Supporting skilled trades programs and workshops within independent schools to give students more opportunities to learn about the trades
Supplying workwear, PPE, and basic tools to deserving students as they begin their construction co-op placements.

Additionally, we award five outstanding co-op students with the CLAC-Edvance OYAP Skilled Trades Bursary Award every year. CLAC presents this award, along with an outfitted DeWalt tool bag, to five students nominated by their co-op placement employers to help support their future career in the skilled trades.

In 2025, we helped over 100 students secure a co-op placement that taught the basics of skilled trades through experiential learning. This included essential safety training and a variety of other supports to ensure they were successful.

Part of Ontario’s future in the skilled trades depends on companies that are willing to open their worksites to co-op students. Please consider offering a co‑op placement, or supporting student training through OYAP, to help young people gain practical experience in the skilled trades.

At CLAC, we are always looking for new independent high schools to join the program and are exploring new ways to support the next generation of skilled trade workers.

If this is something that interests you, please reach out to the CLAC Apprenticeship Team at apprenticeshipcentral@clac.ca

CLAC Supports the Next Generation of Skilled Workers in Ontario

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