Friday, January 14, 2022 Launching a New Career Jackson Norris is an electrician apprentice with a local electrical company in southern Ontario thanks to CLAC Foundation funding for his preapprenticeship training. Guide Magazine Combined with a scholarship from Herzing College in Cambridge, Ontario, which offers a wide variety of preapprenticeship training, Jackson has finally been launched into his chosen trade after graduating from high school a year ago. “I’m so appreciative to be able to get this funding,” says Jackson. “It has made a huge difference and helped me to finally do what I’ve been after for the past year: become an electrical apprentice. I couldn’t get anyone to hire me without this training.” Jackson contacted about 40 companies for months before he started his training at Herzing this past March, getting only two interviews and no job offers. Funding for his preapprenticeship training falls under a three-year partnership agreement between the CLAC Foundation and Lutherwood, a nonprofit health and social service organization that provides mental health, employment, and housing services to more than 19,600 people annually in Waterloo Region and Wellington County in southern Ontario. Although the pandemic delayed interest in the preapprenticeship program last year, three new people are now either starting their training at Herzing or getting ready to. “I’m really glad to be able to add the preapprenticeship training to my resume to show I will be valuable to a company,” says Jackson. “I can’t say enough about it.” To encourage more young people to consider the trades, each year, the CLAC Foundation pays Lutherwood $60,000 (half of this amount from the CLAC Ontario Industry Fund) to be used toward the enrolment, tuition, and sundry costs associated with completion of preapprenticeship training programs offered by Herzing at its Cambridge campus. Tuition and transportation costs are provided for up to six Lutherwood clients per year who have expressed interest in and who meet the eligibility and suitability criteria for an apprenticeship, as set out by Herzing, for the duration of the training program. About the CLAC Foundation The CLAC Foundation funds training for the homeless and new immigrants—and in some cases, young people considering the trades—so they can enter or reenter the workplace. It also funds union workshops for workers overseas. The foundation is operated by an independent board of volunteers and has partnerships with seven nonprofits across Canada and a handful of unions overseas who, along with CLAC, are members of the World Organization of Workers. Visit clacfoundation.ca to learn more or to donate. You might be interested in Why We Work Safely 5 Jun 2026 Standing Your Ground, and Staying Steady on the Job 4 Jun 2026 CLAC Partners with Alberta Government to Advance Skilled Trades Training and Accelerate Certification 4 Jun 2026 Strathcona Mechanical Workers Ratify New Agreement Providing Wage, Scheduling Improvements 3 Jun 2026