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Time, cost and financial supports

How classes fit around your work, what the courses cost, and the money available to you while you train.

paid hours on the job
3,720
per course, paid to the college
$50 to $150
for all courses over the program
About $2,000
On the job Paid 3,720 hours of your normal wage. Nothing to pay.
In class
  • $50–150
  • $50–150
  • $50–150
  • $50–150
  • $50–150
  • $50–150
  • $50–150
  • $50–150
  • $50–150
  • $50–150
  • $50–150
  • $50–150
12 subjects. About $2,000 for all of them, paid course by course.
What the apprentice pays. Textbooks are extra; some employers reimburse.

You are paid for the on-the-job part of the apprenticeship, because it is your job. This page is about the in-class part: how much time it takes and what the courses cost.

Time

Most apprentices take one or two courses a semester, and courses run in the fall, winter and summer. Each course is typically two to three hours of class time a week, plus a few hours of reading and assignments on your own.

The full program usually takes about three years. It can be shorter or longer depending on how many hours you work and how many courses you take at once.

Cost

The colleges put the cost at $50 to $150 per course, paid per course each semester, and roughly $2,000 over the whole program. That is what the student pays for all of the courses. Some courses need textbooks or other resources, which are extra.

Ask your college coordinator how your courses are billed. Some colleges bill per semester, others per subject or per course.

Money available to you

Support Amount Does it apply to DSW?
Apprenticeship Completion Bonus, from Ontario $2,000, one-time, taxable, on completing the trade's highest certification Yes. It is for non-Red-Seal trades only, and DSW is non-Red-Seal. Apply within 180 days of your certificate.
Support for apprentices with disabilities Varies Yes. Interpreters, note-takers and accessibility technology through your college's disability services office.
Apprentice Tools Grant, from Ontario $400 for service-sector trades Possibly. It is paid after the first in-class level; ask Skilled Trades Ontario whether DSW qualifies.

Your employer may also qualify for the Achievement Incentive. It pays the sponsor $1,000 when you are certified, with extra payments if you are under 25 or from an under-represented group. It is paid to the agency, not to you.

Who to ask

Ask your college coordinator for the current cost per course, how it is billed, and which courses need textbooks. Ask Skilled Trades Ontario about the Completion Bonus when you finish. Ask your employer whether they reimburse any course costs.

Where the 4,500 hours go

You need both: the hours logged and every skill set signed off. Neither one alone completes the apprenticeship.

Questions about courses, fees or timing? Ask your college's program coordinator.

Last verified 2026-09-09. Sources: Ontario, Financial supports for apprentices and sponsors; DSWI, Time and Cost handout (2026); Skilled Trades Ontario, Developmental Services Worker (trade 620D); DSWI, Employer FAQ handout, program length (2026).