About OYAP

Frequently Asked Questions



How does the OYAP option differ from regular coop?

OYAP is a specialization of cooperative education with a focus on providing coop students in work experience placements with the opportunity to officially register as apprentices in a skilled trade. 

Students in a skilled trade placement whether exploring or pursuing an apprenticeship fall under the OYAP option of cooperative education. 

All students in skilled trades placements are provided with a Training Standard or Schedule of Training related to the trade in which they are placed.

OYAP unlike regular coop has a long term focus beyond one semester.

Who qualifies for OYAP?

Students who are at least 16 years of age, with sixteen credits can be considered for the OYAP option of cooperative education.

Who are the best candidates for the OYAP option?

Students who demonstrate a career interest in a skilled trade, are hands-on learners and have an aptitude in the skilled trades are good candidates for the OYAP option.

How does a student register with the OYAP option?

Students interested in OYAP are required to enroll in cooperative education.  Students who are in placements in the skilled trades are recognized by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities and the Ministry of Education as students in the OYAP option.

How many OYAP work experience placements can a student participate in? 

Since OYAP has a long term focus students are encouraged to take more than one coop course over a two year period.  Additional placements increase the opportunity for registration as an apprentice and enable the student to achieve additional skills and hours toward journey person status.

When are students registered as apprentices?

Students can be officially registered as apprentices at any time during their work experience placement.   Once they demonstrate an interest and aptitude for a skilled trade, and the employer is agreeable, arrangements are made with the local Apprenticeship Office.  It is advantageous to register students as apprentices while they are in high school. 

Why register students as apprentices while they are in high school? 

It is not easy for young people to find apprenticeship opportunities without a support system.   Once they have graduated they are on their own.  Students who wait until they have graduated from high school often experience significant difficulty finding apprenticeship opportunities.  
Often they are not familiar with the process, where to go and who to approach.  With a Board wide support system in place through OYAP, high school students who are suited for an apprenticeship, receive the direction and support they need to begin an apprenticeship while they are in high school.

How does a student get signed on as an apprentice?

Coop teachers and employers are vital in supporting OYAP and in identifying students who are suitable candidates for apprenticeship opportunities. 

Once students are identified by the coop teacher as apprentice candidates, arrangements are made with the Apprenticeship Office, Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, employer and the student to sign the Ministry documents.  These documents consist of an Application for Apprenticeship Training, Training Agreement and Sponsor Agreement.  
Students under the age of 18 must have these signed by a parent or guardian.

Will the apprenticeship continue once the student graduates from high school?

The intent of OYAP is to provide students with a stepping stone towards an apprenticeship with the hope of continuation.  However, continuation largely depends on the circumstances of the employer.   Students who do well have a distinct advantage over those who have not taken the OYAP option.  To encourage continuation a number of subsidies are available for employers who wish to retain the apprentice after high school graduation.

What is the credit value of an OYAP work experience placement?

Students can take a two credit coop which is a half day work experience placement or a four credit full day work experience placement.  In addition, summer school offers students the opportunity to complete one credit during July.   Summer coop allows students who are registered as apprentices to continue to accumulate hours and skills toward their trade.

Is additional support available for students in the OYAP option?

The OYAP program provides financial support and vocational information for students interested in pursuing the skilled trades.  This may include financial support for the purchase of safety boots, safety glasses, exemption from paying registration fees, participation in Skills Ontario competitions, copies of training standards, access to additional certification, etc. 

What are the main advantages of participating in the OYAP option?

OYAP students have a definite advantage.  Students are provided with enriched work experience placements and resources that can help them begin a career in the skilled trades as an apprentice.  Many students secure part time jobs after school hours, during the weekends or during the summer months.  While working they continue to develop skills and accumulate hours toward a skilled trade.  

Specifically, the OYAP option allows students to officially register as apprentices while they are in high school, resulting in a considerable acceleration toward journey person status at a young age.  For example, students who are signed on as apprentices while in high school, assuming they continue their apprenticeship after high school graduation, become qualified journey persons eight to ten years ahead of their peers.   Many coop students in the OYAP option become qualified journey persons by age 23.   This is significant given that the average age of an apprentice in Ontario is between 26 - 28 years while the average age of an OYAP apprentice is 18.

Must apprentices complete a college post secondary program?

Students who take the apprenticeship route through OYAP are not required to complete a college post secondary program   Registered apprentices are provided with the opportunity to attend in-school training at a college or approved training delivery agent after graduation. This is available in either a day release or a block release program.    About 90% of the in-school training is subsidized by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

What is in-school training and how can coop students in the OYAP option participate?

In-school training is the theoretical component of an apprenticeship program and usually takes place after high school graduation.
The financial value of in-school training is approximately $3,000 per apprentice per level. 

OYAP student apprentices are exempt from paying in-school training and registration fees because of an arrangement with the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities and the local community college.

Student apprentices who do not take the in-school training as part of their work experience placement during high school are automatically scheduled for in-school training once they graduate. In this case, the apprentice is required to pay $400 - $600 for each level of in-school training.  

Since apprentices earn while they learn, the subsidized in-school training is cost effective in comparison to paying regular college tuition fees.  Student/apprentices who wish to pursue a college post secondary school program in addition to apprenticeship training can benefit by taking both.

How does a Training Standard benefit a coop student in the OYAP option?

Students in the OYAP option are given a Training Standard related to their trade of interest.  Students who refer to the training standard are in a better position to appreciate the skills they will learn during apprenticeship training.

What if a student in the OYAP option wants to enroll in a college post secondary program?

No doors are closed to OYAP students.  If they are registered as apprentices while in high school and they wish to go to a community college post secondary school program after graduation, they can put their apprenticeship on hold.  Once they graduate from college they can resume their apprenticeship. 

Is it acceptable to place a student in the OYAP option with their parents or relatives during work experience placements?

Yes, it is acceptable to place students with a parent or relative under the OYAP option if they are qualified journey persons.  This arrangement nicely supports succession planning, in situations where the parent or relative owns the business.

Can students in the OYAP option receive pay during school hours?

Yes, students receiving coop credits in the OYAP option can receive pay during school hours in addition to coop credits.  The employer assumes WSIB responsibility.   This arrangement is clearly indicated on the Work Education Agreement.

If a student wishes to take the OYAP option but this poses a time table conflict, can the school accommodate the student?

It is important to accommodate the student