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GCVI hosts apprenticeship 101 panel for students

April 30, 2024

Guelph, ON – Imagine learning something so good you just had to share it with someone else? Well, that’s exactly what staff at Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute (GCVI) did. 

Former GCVI alum returned to the school to share their experiences working in the local trades industry with the current tenth grade class. The panel ‘Apprenticeship 101’ was invited back this year after the success of its inception last year during a staff professional learning day. 

Staff found last year’s information so valuable that they thought it would be beneficial to put together the panel for current students.

The panel consisted of six GCVI alum: Deborah Dietrach, Nathan Brown, James Bell, Andy Barker, Jarrett Bolton, and Lily Jack – as well as trades professionals Adam Brodrecht from HFH Inc. and Kyle Olender from Ascension Automation. 

Dietrach is an electrician apprentice, Brown is a general carpenter apprentice, Bell is a fully certified red seal auto service technician, while Barker is still studying as an auto service technician apprentice, Bolton is a general machinist apprentice, and Jack is millwright apprentice. 

The six GCVI alumni were just a small representation of the over 140 recognized trades to practice in Ontario.

The panel discussed what their particular trade does on a day-to-day basis, what courses they took in secondary school to prepare themselves for a trades apprenticeship, why the pursued their apprenticeship, how much they made or make during their apprenticeship, as well as the cost to pursue their apprenticeship.

The panel highlighted that though each post-secondary path can occur costs to pursue, another highlight of an apprenticeship is that students can “earn to learn,” meaning that while students are learning their chosen trade at whichever company, those same companies are paying their students to learn.  Why? Because tradespeople are in such high demand in Ontario, companies will pay what it takes to retain future employees. 

Olender and Brodrecht shared with students that they are excited for what the future of trades will look like in their companies and they are looking for students that share their excitement and are eager to get into the field and take initiative of all that there is to learn and do.

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