How to find an apprenticeship sponsor in Ontario: approaching employers directly, Employment Ontario, union halls and group sponsors, pre-apprenticeship programs, and registering the Training Agreement with Skilled Trades Ontario.
Applies in: Ontario
Finding a sponsor is the hard part of starting an apprenticeship in Ontario. The training itself is straightforward once you are in: about 80% of an apprenticeship is paid on-the-job learning and about 20% is classroom training, over 2 to 5 years depending on the trade, according to Ontario's page on starting an apprenticeship. But none of it starts until a sponsor agrees to train you. This guide covers only the sponsor-finding mechanics: who a sponsor is, the four routes to finding one, and what happens once one says yes. It does not explain trade requirements, wages, or exam steps — those live in the trade-specific guides linked below.
A sponsor is the person or organization that provides your apprenticeship training. Ontario states that an apprenticeship program begins when you sign a Training Agreement with a sponsor and register it with Skilled Trades Ontario. The sponsor commits to giving you the on-the-job tasks listed for your trade and time off for in-school training. Since April 2, 2025, Skilled Trades Ontario has been the first point of contact for apprenticeship registrations and completions, and it registers training agreements and authorizes sponsors, according to Skilled Trades Ontario's page on the change.
Two sponsor facts shape your whole search. First, in trades where ratios apply, Ontario uses a 1 to 1 journeyperson-to-apprentice ratio, so a shop can only take as many apprentices as it has journeypersons. Second, the sponsor must have the capacity, equipment, and facilities to train you to the trade standard, and must support you attending in-class training. Before you pitch an employer, check whether the trade is compulsory or voluntary — in a compulsory trade you must be a registered apprentice or certified to legally do the work at all, which makes the sponsor agreement non-negotiable from day one.
Direct employer outreach is the most common route, and it works like a job search, because that is what it is. Ontario's own guidance lists local companies as a sponsor source: research companies in your trade, then contact them. Make a short list of employers near you — contractors, shops, and firms that do the trade's work — and contact each one with three things ready: the trade you want, what you already bring (school courses, related work, a pre-apprenticeship certificate, a driver's licence if the trade needs one), and a clear ask, which is a job with a Training Agreement, not just a job.
When you talk to an employer, ask the sponsor questions directly: are they already an approved sponsor, do they have a journeyperson free to train you under the ratio, and will they release you for in-school training blocks. If they have never sponsored before, tell them the registration runs through the Skilled Trades Ontario Portal and that Skilled Trades Ontario authorizes sponsors — an employer that has never sponsored is not a dead end, but it will need to complete the sponsor authorization step before your agreement can be registered. Post your resume and availability on Job Bank, and check ApprenticeSearch.com, the apprenticeship job board, alongside local contractor listings. Follow up once after a week; a shop that said "not right now" is a lead for the next hiring round, not a rejection of the trade.
Employment Ontario is the province's employment and training network, and its centres help with exactly this search: resume help, referrals, local employer leads, and matching apprentices to sponsors. Visit a centre in person rather than only browsing online, because staff there know which local employers have taken apprentices before and which are hiring now. Employment Ontario also runs the apprenticeship application process: you apply through the Skilled Trades Ontario Portal, and if your application is approved, a Training Agreement is created for you and your sponsor to sign, then approved and registered.
If you are 18 or older, you apply online through the Skilled Trades Ontario Portal. If you are 16 or 17, you use a paper application that your parent or guardian and your sponsor must sign, submitted to your local Employment Ontario apprenticeship training office. Either way, have the sponsor's information ready before you start: the sponsor's full legal name, mailing address, and business phone number, plus the contact person's name, phone number, and email address.
If your trade is unionized, the union hiring hall is a sponsor route of its own. Many trades have unions or associations with resources to find and match apprentices to sponsors, and some unions run their own apprenticeship programs through joint training committees, with applications, aptitude testing, interviews, and dispatch to work as jobs become available. Contact the local for your trade — for example, the electrical trade runs through the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers locals, and pipe trades through the United Association locals — and ask about their apprentice intake process and dates, because some locals only accept applications in a set window each year.
Group sponsors work differently from a single employer. A group sponsor, such as a union or a non-union consortium, recruits, screens, interviews, and registers apprentices, and the employer only has to train. If you find a group sponsor first, it can place you with an employer; if you find an employer first, a group sponsor can still register you and handle the paperwork. Ask any union hall or trade association you contact whether it acts as a group sponsor, because that changes the ask from "hire me" to "register me and place me."
If employers keep saying you have no experience, pre-apprenticeship training is the route built for that problem. Ontario's pre-apprenticeship training page states the training is free, with costs for textbooks, safety equipment, and tools also covered, lasts up to 52 weeks, and includes a work placement of 8 to 12 weeks. Programs run through colleges and community agencies across Ontario and start at different times through the year. The work placement is the sponsor-finding mechanism: you spend 8 to 12 weeks with a local employer, and a good placement often turns into a Training Agreement.
Pre-apprenticeship is aimed at people who may not have Grade 12 or equivalent, which is the usual academic requirement for most trades, and it can include Level 1 apprenticeship schooling and academic upgrading. If you want help finding and applying to a program, contact Employment Ontario. If you are still in high school, the parallel route is the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program, which gives hands-on experience before you graduate — speak with your guidance counsellor, because the program runs through your school's co-operative education courses.
Finding the sponsor is the search; registering is the step that makes you an apprentice. You and your sponsor apply through the Skilled Trades Ontario Portal. If the application is approved, a Training Agreement is created for you and your sponsor to sign, then approved and registered. Only once your status shows as registered can training move forward. You will receive an apprentice ID and access to the training standard and logbook for your trade, where your sponsor signs off each skill as you complete it.
Keep the sponsor's obligations in mind from the start: they provide training and supervision by a qualified individual, review your progress and sign off skills in the logbook, support your attendance at in-class training, and stay in communication with ministry and Skilled Trades Ontario staff. Your side of the deal is to follow the sponsor's and trainer's instructions, learn the required skills, attend in-class training when required, track your hours and skills, and notify the ministry of any change to the training agreement or your personal information. If the sponsor relationship breaks down, you can change sponsors — a new Training Agreement is registered with the new sponsor.
This guide states no apprentice wage figure and no grant or tax-credit amount for sponsors, because the figures available were trade-specific, dated, or from non-official pages, and no current official figure could be verified. It states no count of Employment Ontario offices and no list of which employers or union locals are currently taking apprentices, because that changes constantly — check with your local Employment Ontario centre and the union local for your trade. It also does not state the exact sponsor-approval processing time, because Skilled Trades Ontario publishes no such figure on the pages. Confirm wage, incentive, and timing details with Skilled Trades Ontario or Employment Ontario before relying on them.
Yes. Ontario states that an apprenticeship program begins when you sign a Training Agreement with a sponsor and register it with Skilled Trades Ontario. You do not need to take special courses or be in school to start, but finding a sponsor is the key first step.
Usually the sponsor is your employer, but not always. A sponsor can be a single employer, an individual contractor, or a group of employers such as a union or a non-union consortium. With a group sponsor, the group recruits, screens and registers the apprentice, and the employer provides the on-the-job training.
In trades where ratios apply, Ontario uses a 1 to 1 ratio: one journeyperson can train one apprentice at a time. A shop with three journeypersons can train three apprentices. If a journeyperson leaves, the sponsor may have to pause new apprentice hires until it is back in compliance, so ask about staffing when you approach an employer.
No. Pre-apprenticeship is not a requirement for starting an apprenticeship. It is a way to build skills and get a work placement first if you have little or no experience, which makes you easier for a sponsor to hire. The training is free and lasts up to 52 weeks, including an 8 to 12 week work placement.
Yes. You can change your sponsor later. A new Training Agreement is needed with the new sponsor, and the agreement is registered with Skilled Trades Ontario, so tell your new sponsor early that the paperwork has to be redone.
Yes. The Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program lets high school students explore and work in apprenticeship occupations through co-operative education, and an employer who agrees to sponsor you can sign a Registered Training Agreement while you are still a student. Speak with your guidance counsellor for details.