CEWIL Resource Hub: Preparing for WIL at Mohawk College

The Mohawk College Apprenticeship Community Hub is a facility located in the Marshall School of Skilled Trades and Apprenticeship at the Stoney Creek campus. The Hub is an expansion of a pilot project to provide additional support services to help students navigate apprenticeship programs. The priorities of The Hub are:

  • Provide resources to individuals interested in the skilled trades
  • Strengthen relationships with employers and industry experts
  • Promote the skilled trades as a viable career option

Key success factors

  • The program features dedicated on-site support staff who deliver resources and support to promote training success, retention, and program completion.
  • Resources available through The Hub are designed to remove barriers for students interested in the skilled trades.
  • The physical space includes hands-on learning labs for students to practice skills before entering the workplace.

Unique characteristics

  • The Hub is the first of its kind in Ontario.
  • The supports are developed based on students' needs. The Hub has been established to further reduce barriers while aligning with Ontario’s Apprenticeship Pillars: promote apprenticeship, support and retain apprentices, engage and support employers and sponsors, increase participation of underrepresented groups, and update the apprenticeship system through digital enhancement. 
  • The Hub strives to enhance services for all stakeholder groups by providing face-to-face support, responding quickly to industry demands, and offering operational assistance. 
  • We created an engagement strategy with local school boards focused on students in Grades 6-8. Students are encouraged to visit campus and learn about skilled trades. Parents will then be invited to visit The Hub and explore skilled trades as a viable career option.
  • The Hub provides resources and support for employers. Through strengthening these relationships, the apprenticeship programs can better understand industry needs and ensure students enter workplaces with the desired skills.   

Challenges

  • We want to profile skilled trades as a viable career option to parents, and hope that providing support through the physical space will reassure parents about their children's career choices.
  • The Hub shouldn't duplicate services within the existing college functions. We're working with various departments through internal messaging and establishing a clear referral process.

Resources

Key characteristics

  • Type: Apprenticeship
  • Year program was established: 1970
  • Number of students per year: 2,800 apprenticeship students enrolled in 18 trade programs.  
  • Number of employers/partners per year: 1,000 to 1,200
  • Programs/academic disciplines participating: 18 trade programs
  • Duration of experience: 80% hands-on learning and 20% in-class. For the 20% of in-class time, the majority is delivered in 2-month block formats (240 hours, full-time), and part-time is one day a week for 8 months.
  • Submitted by: Louise Stallings