Your responsibilities as sponsor

Sponsoring an apprentice means giving them structured, on-the-job support throughout their training. This is what Skilled Trades Ontario expects of you as the sponsoring employer.

1. Designate a qualified trainer

This is the core responsibility. Identify someone in your workplace whom you judge qualified to train and assess the apprentice against the skills and competencies in the DSW Apprenticeship Training Standard. In many agencies this is the apprentice's direct supervisor.

Give that person the time to do it. Training done only in spare moments is how apprenticeships stall. The trainer pages on this site, starting with Your role as trainer, explain what the role asks.

2. Give the apprentice the Training Standard logbook

The logbook is the official record of the apprentice's progress against the Training Standard. Make sure they have it, and that they and their trainer go through it together early.

3. Support classroom attendance

Make sure the apprentice is able to attend their scheduled in-class training. That usually means adjusting shifts around a weekly class day or evening, and planning the semester ahead.

4. Keep Skilled Trades Ontario informed

Notify Skilled Trades Ontario of any change affecting the apprenticeship, for example if the employee no longer works for you, or if your agency's business information changes. Skilled Trades Ontario is your point of contact for reporting changes and for support throughout the apprenticeship.

What this does not include

You do not pay the apprentice's course fees unless you choose to, and you are not required to pay them for time in class. Costs, grants and staffing explains both.