WHERE DO YOU GO FROM HERE? Planning the route to the job of your choice As with any journey, your route to finding a job or developing a career has to be planned. In planning, always keep the final destination in mind. Begin your search for the kind of work experience that will result in the job or career you want by identifying and prioritizing the challenges you face. Here are some tips for starting out: • Identify the steps you need to take to achieve your goals. • Think about how you will know when you have reached your goals. •Make a list of the problems that may arise. • Beside each problem indicate how you will deal with it. • Identify who or what group or institution can help you to achieve your goals. • Work on your annual education plan if you are in Grades 7 through 12 by choosing courses that will move you closer to your goals. • Give yourself a time frame within which to achieve your goals. • Refine your goals as your search for work experience progresses. How to build your work skills while completing high school There are lots of ways you can build your experience, work skills, and confidence while completing high school. Here are some examples: (Table content) Activity = Job shadowing or job twinning Duration = One-half to three days Description = You are paired with an employee or co-op student to observe the daily routine of someone doing a job in which you are interested. Activity = Work experience Duration = One to four weeks Description = You are provided with a short-term work placement as a part of a high school credit course. Activity = Virtual work experience Duration = Equivalent of one to four weeks Description = Through your school's computer lab and Internet connection, you are provided with a short-term work placement that complements the learning provided by a specific credit course. Activity = Cooperative education Duration = Full term (year or semester), with one credit per 110-hour cooperative credit course successfully completed Description = You are given a job placement in a field related to your career interests and earn one or more high school credits where the course expectations match what is learned in the workplace. You participate in and complete the pre-placement orientation activities and, during in-school integration days, relate and reflect on your learning in the workplace and the classroom. Up to two co-op credits earned after September 2005 can be counted towards the 18 credits a student requires in order to graduate. Activity = School–work transitions, such as Pathways Duration = Length of program varies with type of work experience planned Description = If you are planning to go to work after graduating from high school, you may want to consider a school–work transition program. These programs combine in-school courses with out-of-school work experiences, and focus on a particular sector (such as retail, tourism, or hospitality).They include opportunities to further develop the skills required for entry into full-time work and earn relevant, industry-recognized certificates. Activity = Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program Duration = Length of program varies with type of work experience planned Description = If you have 16 high school credits, you can work towards becoming an apprentice while completing your high school diploma. (See page 22 for a description of apprenticeship training.) Source: Government of Ontario, Co-operative Education and Other Forms of Experiential Learning, 2000. (End of table content) Talk to your guidance counsellor about the above opportunities and the new skills-focused options being launched in schools in late 2006 and in 2007. These include Specialist High Skills Majors, dual credits through colleges and universities, and external credits led by community organizations. And don't forget community involvement. The high school program requires students to complete 40 hours of volunteer work in their community. This activity can help build skills and a network of contacts that may help you as you work towards your career goals. Summer jobs: Experience and income Summer jobs not only provide students with an income to help with expenses, but also give them an opportunity to experience different kinds of work. Information about Ontario Summer Jobs is available at http://www.youthjobs.gov.on.ca. The programs listed on the next page are all part of Ontario Summer Jobs, which is provided by the Ontario government. They can help you find a summer job. Other levels of government also provide help for students to find summer jobs. Some of these services are listed at the end of this booklet. (Table content) Program = Summer Jobs Service Program description = Free job-search and self-marketing services are available to help young people find and keep jobs. $2/hour hiring incentive is available for jobs with businesses and farms, as well as with not-for-profit and other community organizations. Who can apply = Students and young people aged 15 to 24 or up to 29 years for persons with disabilities, planning to return to school in the fall Duration of work or services = Free job-search and self marketing services are available throughout the spring and summer. Hiring incentive, lasting up to 16 weeks, is available for jobs that begin and end between April 1 and September 30. Program = Summer Company Program description = Young people create their own summer job by starting and operating their own business. The program offers hands-on business coaching, mentoring, and awards of up to $3000. Who can apply = Students aged 15 to 29, returning to school Duration of work or services = Businesses may run from April 1 to December 31. Program = Summer Experience Program Program description = Jobs are with Ontario government ministries and agencies, as well as community groups. Who can apply = Youth aged 15 to 24, or up to 29 years for persons with disabilities. Duration of work or services = Jobs last about 6 to 8 weeks. Program = (Including Ontario Rangers) Program description = Ontario Rangers work in remote camp locations. Their jobs include tree planting, clearing portages and blazing trails, maintaining parks and camp buildings, and helping in fish and wildlife projects. Who can apply = Students aged 17. Check the Ontario Rangers website at http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/ MNR/Rangers. Duration of work or services = Jobs last 8 weeks and can start in late June or early July. Program = Ontario Government Summer Student Hiring Program description = Jobs are with Ontario government ministries and agencies. Who can apply = Students Duration of work or services = Jobs last up to 16 weeks. Program = Ontario/Quebec Summer Student Job Exchange Program Program description = Jobs are with Quebec government ministries and agencies. Who can apply = Ontario residents who are full-time university students and 18 years of age or older at the start of the program Duration of work or services = Jobs last about 13 weeks. (End of table content) Universities, colleges, and private career colleges: Further education to help define career and life goals Universities • There are 19 universities in Ontario specializing in different fields and professional programs. • Universities offer three- and four-year undergraduate degrees. Professional programs such as dentistry, medicine, engineering, and law are available at several Ontario universities. • In 2002–03, the average annual salary range of university graduates employed full-time six months after graduation was $30,001–$40,000. • In 2002–03, the percentage of university graduates employed six months after graduation was 92.3. Colleges • Ontario's 24 colleges have more than 100 campuses located throughout the province. • Colleges offer both one-year certificates in skills training programs, which are often part of an apprenticeship, and two- and three-year diplomas in career-oriented programs. Programs are available on campus, off-site, and through distance education. Some colleges have introduced applied degree programs; to find out whether the specific institution to which you wish to apply offers such a program, check its course calendar. • The median salary of 2003–04 college graduates employed full-time six months after graduation was $30,000. • The percentage of 2003–04 college graduates employed six months after graduation was 87.7. Private career colleges • There are about 500 registered private career colleges in Ontario, and the majority of them offer postsecondary-level programs. • Private career colleges offer a wide range of career oriented, skills-training programs. Most of these diploma programs take less than a year to complete. • The incomes of private career college graduates vary according to the program chosen. Information on salary ranges for graduates is available from your guidance counsellor or from your campus placement office. • In 2002–03, the percentage of private career college graduates employed six months after graduation was 76. (Text box content) More opportunities to learn and train … The Ontario government is making historic, multi-year investments in postsecondary education and training that will improve access, quality, and accountability. These investments are targeted towards financial assistance for students and towards increased enrolment and expanded opportunities for learning and training for Aboriginals, French-speaking Ontarians, new Canadians, persons with disabilities, and students whose parents do not have any education or training beyond high school. There will also be more access to graduate and medical education and to apprenticeship training. Ask your high school guidance counsellor or career consultant for more information. (End of text box content) Earn while you learn: Great careers in skilled trades Apprenticeship training • Apprenticeship is hands-on training for people who enjoy learning by doing and want to work in a skilled trade. Apprentices are paid while gaining work experience, and their wages increase with their level of skill. • Training provides access to well-paying jobs in skilled trades that demand a high level of skill, judgement, and creativity. As a certified skilled worker, your knowledge can lead to a wide range of opportunities, such as working for employers in different industries and in different parts of Canada, being your own boss, or teaching. • About 90 percent of apprenticeship training is provided in the workplace by employers. The remainder involves classroom instruction in theory, which is usually given at a local community college or provided by another approved training organization. • To become an apprentice, an applicant must find an employer who is willing to provide training. Some employers advertise directly for skilled workers in local newspapers, but most employers rely on word of mouth to attract applicants. People who want to become apprentices usually apply directly to an employer or a training committee of local employers. • The demand for skilled workers continues to increase, and top performers in some skilled trades earn more than $40,000 a year. In fact, with skilled workers in such great demand, salaries tend to be even higher because of overtime and bonuses. With bonuses, an industrial electrician can earn more than $70,000 a year and a tool and die maker more than $90,000 a year. The Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program helps students begin training towards an apprenticeship while they complete high school. Your guidance counsellor, cooperative education teacher, or technological education teacher will have more details. The Apprenticeship Scholarship and Signing Bonus is available to young people who have left school and require more education before they can be hired as apprentices. A young person receives a scholarship of $1000 once he or she returns to school, completes the necessary academic upgrading, and becomes a registered apprentice. Employers who register a new apprentice and provide training through this initiative receive a $2000 hiring bonus. For more information, call 1-888-JOBGROW. People who want to become apprentices should remind employers that the Ontario government provides an Apprenticeship Training Tax Credit for employers who register apprentices in about 100 skilled trades in the construction, industrial, motive power, and service sectors. More information about the tax credit is available at the Ministry of Finance website at www.gov.on.ca/FIN or www.ontario.ca/jobgrow. Where to find out more The end of this booklet marks the beginning of a journey. What follows are just a few of the many resources available to help you in your job search and beyond. Some of the websites listed on pages 24–25 are created by or for organizations outside of the Ontario government, and those organizations are responsible for the information contained on their respective sites. Any comments or inquiries you may have regarding those sites should be directed to the individual organization. Resources worth checking out • Your high school Career Centre or Guidance Office, your college or university Campus Placement Office, or if you're out of school, your local youth employment centre. Call the Job Grow and Training Hotline (numbers below) to find the youth employment centre near you. • The Job Grow and Training Hotline at 1-888-JOB-GROW (562-4769) or 1-800-387-5656; in Toronto, call 416-326-5656. • Job Connect Centres: For the location nearest you, call the Job Grow and Training Hotline. • Ontario Skills Passport: This bilingual, web-based resource provides clear descriptions of the skills and work habits you need in the workforce and in daily life. It's available online at http://skills.edu.gov.on.ca. • Ontario Prospects: This publication contains hot tips on how to look for work and people's stories about how they found work and built their careers. Copies are available at high school guidance offices, campus placement offices, and youth employment centres. It's also available online at http://www.ontarioprospects.info. •Ontario WorkInfoNet: Also known as OnWin, this website contains links to hundreds of sites focusing on trends in employment and training in Ontario and across Canada. http://onwin.ca. • Career Gateway: This website contains links to over 500 resources to help you improve your marks as well as learn more about postsecondary education and training, how to look for work, and the wide range of careers available in today's job market. http://www.youthjobs.gov.on.ca. (Text box content) Train for skilled jobs . . . You can train as an apprentice in more than 130 jobs, including automotive service technician, cook, electrician, general machinist, network cabling specialist, early childhood educator, carpenter, and tool and die maker. (End of text box content)
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