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How to Start an Apprenticeship in Ontario While Still in High School (OYAP)

OYAP lets Ontario high school students start a skilled trade before graduation: age 15+, Grade 11 or 12, 14 credits, co-op placements, and the Level One and OYAP-FAST routes.

Written November 5, 2026 · 8 min read

Applies in: Ontario

The path in one paragraph

The Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) is the one door into a skilled trade that opens before you graduate. If you are 15 or older, in Grade 11 or 12, and have 14 credits toward your Ontario Secondary School Diploma, you can take a co-op placement in a skilled trade, earn school credits for the work, and — once you are registered as an apprentice with Skilled Trades Ontario — bank real apprenticeship hours that count toward your trade's total. The faster streams, OYAP-FAST and Accelerated Level One, let you stack more co-op credits or finish your Level One in-school training at college while you are still in school. After graduation you carry the agreement forward as an adult apprentice instead of starting from zero.

Step 1: Check the three conditions

Ontario.ca states the OYAP eligibility bar plainly. You must be at least 15 years old, be studying part-time or full-time in high school in Grade 11 or 12 (or equivalent), and have earned at least 14 credits toward your OSSD. Students who have finished Grade 10 can take part during the summer before Grade 11, where the school offers it — your guidance counsellor or your board's OYAP recruiter can confirm whether your school runs a summer placement.

Two details change the bar for some students. The construction sector sets its minimum age at 16, so a 15-year-old can take a placement in hairstyling, cooking, or auto service but not on a construction site. And some college-delivered Level One programs set a higher bar than OYAP itself: St. Lawrence College requires 16 years old and 16 credits for its Level One program. The general OYAP bar is 15 and 14; the program you apply to may ask for more.

Step 2: Pick a trade and talk to your guidance counsellor

OYAP covers more than 140 skilled trades in Ontario — automotive service technician, hairstylist, general carpenter, cook, welder, electrician, plumber, and the rest of the apprenticeable list. Your first move is a conversation, not a form: talk to your guidance counsellor or your co-op teacher. They connect you with your school board's OYAP recruiter, who knows which trades have placements available in your area and what the application timing is.

The placement itself runs through co-operative education. You take a two-credit (half-day) or four-credit (full-day) co-op in one semester, and the placement must sit in an apprenticeable trade and link to a related high school credit. One co-op credit represents about 110 hours of placement time. Apply through the regular course selection process by choosing a co-operative education credit for Grade 11 or 12; your co-op teacher handles the OYAP side of the application with you.

Step 3: Sign the Participant Form and get your client number

Once you have a placement, you sign the OYAP Participant Form. That form does two things: it registers you as an OYAP participant, and it gives you a client number in Ontario's apprenticeship database. That number is the thread that ties your school years to your adult apprenticeship — every hour and school level you bank later attaches to it.

There are three ways to sit inside OYAP, and they are worth distinguishing because only two of them bank hours. A co-op participant takes a placement in a skilled trade and earns school credits; registration as an apprentice is optional at this level. A registered OYAP apprentice goes further: the co-op teacher starts a registration with Skilled Trades Ontario, and the placement hours count toward the trade's apprenticeship total. An Accelerated OYAP Level One student (Step 5) adds college-delivered in-school training on top. If your goal is a head start on the trade, not just a taste of it, ask your co-op teacher to start the STO registration.

Step 4: Work the placement and bank the hours

Your placement is a real workplace: a shop, a salon, a kitchen, or a job site, with an employer who has agreed to take a student. Your co-op teacher stays involved, and your sponsor's qualified tradesperson supervises the work. Hours worked under a Registered Training Agreement count toward your trade's total — for scale, the automotive service technician apprenticeship runs 7,220 hours in Ontario, so a semester of full-day co-op is a genuine dent in the total, not a token.

A co-op placement earns you credits toward your diploma, not a paycheque. The wage starts when you are a registered apprentice working under a training agreement: at that point you are an employee, paid by your employer while you learn. That distinction matters when you compare OYAP with a part-time job — the placement pays in credits and banked hours now, and in a shorter path to a journeyperson wage later.

Step 5: Go further — Accelerated Level One and dual credits

Two faster streams sit on top of basic OYAP. OYAP-FAST (Focused Apprenticeship Skills Training) is the accelerated stream for Grade 11 and 12 students: more apprenticeship learning through additional co-operative education credits in the skilled trades while you finish your OSSD, with an OYAP-FAST seal on your diploma when you complete the requirements. Boards set the exact credit count — Ottawa-Carleton requires 8 to 11 co-operative education credits in the skilled trades — so confirm the number with your board's recruiter.

Accelerated OYAP Level One is the college route. You apply in Grade 11 through your co-op teacher; the program is delivered in the second semester of Grade 12, with two or three days a week at college and the rest at your co-op placement. Completing it earns two or three dual credits — credits that count toward both your OSSD and your apprenticeship — plus your Level One in-school training. Admission runs through an application and interview and is competitive, with strong math skills and an up-to-date credit count among the selection factors. The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development pays the full tuition to the training delivery agent, so the college portion costs you nothing.

Step 6: Carry it past graduation

Graduation is a handoff, not a reset. If you hold a Registered Training Agreement with a sponsor, create an account with Skilled Trades Ontario and continue with that employer as an adult apprentice — your agreement, your hours, and your Level One training all carry over. If you finished OYAP as a participant without registering, the adult route opens at graduation: find a sponsoring employer in your trade, then register the training agreement with STO. Our automotive service technician apprentice guide walks the adult route in full, sponsor hunt included.

One last check before you plan around a specific trade: confirm the trade is apprenticeable in Ontario and whether it is compulsory or voluntary, because that decides whether you must be registered to practise it. Our compulsory versus voluntary trades guide explains the split. And if money is the worry, our apprenticeship financial support guide covers the loans and supports that apply once you are registered.

Related guides

From Grade 11 to a registered apprenticeship, in six moves

  1. Check the three conditionsAt least 15 years old, in Grade 11 or 12, with 14 credits earned. Construction placements need 16.
  2. Talk to your guidance counsellorYour counsellor and co-op teacher connect you with your board's OYAP recruiter and the trades on offer.
  3. Pick a trade and a co-op placementMore than 140 skilled trades are open to OYAP. The placement must sit in an apprenticeable trade and link to a related school credit.
  4. Sign the Participant FormThe form registers you in OYAP and gives you a client number in Ontario's apprenticeship database.
  5. Register as an apprentice to bank hoursYour co-op teacher starts the STO registration. Hours worked under it count toward your trade's total.
  6. Carry it past graduationCreate a Skilled Trades Ontario account and continue with your sponsor under a Registered Training Agreement.

Questions people ask

Can I start an apprenticeship before I finish high school in Ontario?

Yes, through the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP). It is the only route that lets you formally begin an apprenticeship while you are still in secondary school. Outside OYAP, you must hold an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) to register as an apprentice, so a student who waits until graduation starts from zero. OYAP lets you bank hours and, in some streams, in-school training while you finish your diploma.

What do I need to qualify for OYAP?

Ontario.ca lists three conditions: you must be at least 15 years old, be studying part-time or full-time in high school in Grade 11 or 12 (or equivalent), and have earned at least 14 credits toward your OSSD. Students who have finished Grade 10 can take part during the summer before Grade 11, if your school offers it — check with your guidance counsellor or your board's OYAP recruiter. One exception to note: the construction sector sets the minimum age at 16, so a 15-year-old cannot take a construction placement.

Do the hours I work in OYAP count toward my apprenticeship?

They count once you are registered as an apprentice with Skilled Trades Ontario (STO). Signing the OYAP Participant Form registers you in the program and gives you a client number in Ontario's apprenticeship database. From there, your co-op teacher can start a registration with STO, and the hours you work under that registration count toward your trade's total, exactly like an adult apprentice's hours. A co-op placement on its own, without the registration, earns you school credits but banks no apprenticeship hours.

What is OYAP-FAST?

OYAP-FAST (Focused Apprenticeship Skills Training) is an accelerated stream inside OYAP for Grade 11 and 12 students. It lets you take more apprenticeship learning through additional co-operative education credits in the skilled trades while you work toward your OSSD. Students who complete the requirements earn the OYAP-FAST seal on their diploma. Your board sets the exact credit count — Ottawa-Carleton, for example, requires 8 to 11 co-operative education credits in the skilled trades — so confirm the number with your board's OYAP recruiter before you plan your timetable around it.

What is Accelerated OYAP Level One, and how do dual credits work?

Accelerated OYAP Level One is the college-delivered version of the program. You apply in Grade 11, and the Level One in-school training is delivered in the second semester of Grade 12, split between college classes (two or three days a week) and your co-op placement. Completing it earns you two or three dual credits — credits that count toward both your OSSD and your apprenticeship — plus your Level One training. Admission is competitive and runs through an application and interview, and the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development pays the tuition to the training delivery agent. Some college-delivered programs set a higher bar than OYAP itself: St. Lawrence College, for example, requires 16 years old and 16 credits for its Level One program, against OYAP's 15 and 14.

What happens to my apprenticeship after I graduate?

If you already hold a Registered Training Agreement with a sponsor, you continue with that employer as an adult apprentice: create an account with Skilled Trades Ontario and your agreement carries over. If you finished OYAP as a participant without registering, graduation moves you onto the adult route — find a sponsoring employer in your trade, then register the training agreement with STO. Either way, the hours and any Level One training you banked in school are not lost; they are already in the apprenticeship database under your client number.

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