apprenticesearch.com

By Dianne Seed

Employers and apprenticeship candidates/apprentices can now link up via the internet on the website www.apprenticesearch.com. This free service was initially piloted in Halton Region, but after great success, expanded to nearby Peel and Dufferin, encompassing the larger cities of Brampton, Mississauga, Orangeville, Caledon plus the surrounding areas. Informational areas of the website such as About Trades, Corporate and Training Profiles, What’s New, Trade Talk, Leads on Jobs are open to anyone with an interest about finding out more about the skilled trades.

The website was developed in partnership by the Halton Industry Education Council and Human Resources Development Canada in response to shortages of workers in the skilled trades, which has reached a critical point as many tradespeople continue to retire. Combined with a lack of awareness by young people about opportunities in apprenticeship and the skilled trades, one can foresee further shortages that will negatively impact on industrial productivity, labour market growth and the ability to compete in the local labour market and further afield.

Peel Halton Dufferin employers use the website to post apprenticeship job opportunities, and Peel Halton Dufferin applicants apply on-line after posting a personal profile, employability skills chart and a resume which the employer can then view. So far, over 600 applicants have registered, with approximately 300 apprentices/apprenticeship candidates choosing to post personal profiles, and 140 employers have registered, posting approximately 110 job vacancies.

apprenticesearch.com also provides a successful template for other communities facing similar skill shortages, and can be easily adapted to reflect local news and information relevant to specific communities. Marketing material has also been developed to support roll-out of apprenticesearch.com in any community or region.

If you are interested in finding out how the apprenticesearch.com solution can work for your community, please call the Halton Industry Education Council at 905-634-2575, or visit the website, www.apprenticesearch.com, and select Contact Us.