Building Up’s pre-apprenticeship program is a 16 week paid training program that uses construction contracts and in-class training to prepare individuals facing barriers to employment for successful careers in the trades. Participants are paid $15.50 per hour for the 16 weeks and are required to be available from Monday to Friday between 7:30 AM to 4:00PM for the duration of the program. Our 16 week program is divided into 2 sections: 8 weeks of in-class training and 8 weeks of in the field work experience.
8 weeks of in-class training – working directly with unions and trades employers
8 weeks of work placement
To Apply for any of the programs listed below – Please click on the apply button below. If you are having difficulties filling out the online application you can get in contact with our Outreach Manager, Melisa Savone, (melisa.savone@buildingup.ca) for assistance.
May 23rd 2023: Youth Cohort | 18-29 years of age only
Eligibility Requirements: Must be between the ages of 18-29. A Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or convention refugee with a favourable Notice of Decision letter, SIN, and work permit.
July 24th 2023: All Ages Cohort | 18+
Eligibility Requirements: Must be over the age of 18. A Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or convention refugee with favourable Notice of Decision letter, SIN, and work permit.
Building Up’s intake and interview process is one week long. A typical intake week looks like this:
Monday – Information Session
We start with an Information Session, which is mandatory for all candidates to attend. If you do not attend the Information Session, you will not be eligible to participate in interviews.
To register for one of our Information Sessions, please “apply” on our website, once you apply you will receive a Zoom registration link for our Information Session.
If you don’t have zoom, please download at zoom.us/download so you can attend. Please ensure you do this well in advance of the session.
Tuesday and Wednesday – First Interview
We conduct first round interviews over Zoom. Candidates are expected to have their cameras on and able to video with the Building Up team throughout the interview. If this is not possible, please let us know and we will be happy to accommodate.
Thursday – Hands-On Interview
As Building Up is a pre-apprenticeship construction training program, we include a “hands-on” interview component of the intake process. We invite candidates to one of our job sites to work for several hours so they can demonstrate their work ethic to our team.
Friday – Final Interviews and Cohort Selection
Successful candidates will be asked to participate in a second and final interview, also conducted by Zoom. At the end of the day, the Building Up team will deliberate and make the final selection for the upcoming cohort! Good luck!
Please pay close attention to our “Upcoming Intake Dates” above as we have listed specific eligibility that is unique to each intake.
If you are over 18 years of age, you are welcome to apply to our program. We welcome those individuals who are on Employment Insurance (EI), Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), or Ontario Works (OW).
For those who are currently receiving Ontario Works, please pay close attention to the eligibility information provided below as we periodically provide special programming exclusively for OW recipients.
Required Documentation
Please note that all candidates wishing to be considered for an interview must provide the documents listed below ahead of the information session. If you are missing one or more documents from the list, please get in contact with us by emailing melisa.savone@buildingup.ca and we can discuss your unique situation.