Trade Schools in Montreal
Trade schools in Montreal in Quebec's vocational system: the École des métiers de la construction de Montréal, the CIMME centre in LaSalle, and the Rosemount Technology Centre, with the DEP diploma explained in English.
Trade Schools in Toronto
Trade schools in Toronto with verified apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship training: George Brown, Humber, and Centennial, the trades each covers, and where to confirm current intakes.
Applies in: Ontario
Toronto has three colleges with verified apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship training in the skilled trades, all checked against official pages on October 28, 2026. Apprenticeship classroom instruction is the in-school part of an apprenticeship; the on-the-job part happens with an employer. Pre-apprenticeship programs are the route for people who do not yet have an employer: they teach Level 1 content, add safety training, and include a work placement. Confirm current intakes and admission requirements on the program page linked for each school before you apply, because intakes change without notice and some programs run only in certain semesters.
Toronto schools, verified
| School | Trades covered | Location and route |
|---|---|---|
| George Brown College | Construction and maintenance electrician, plumber, refrigeration and air conditioning systems mechanic, carpenter, sheet metal worker, cook, baker, industrial mechanic millwright | Toronto; Training Delivery Agent, apprenticeship levels I, II, and III |
| Humber Polytechnic | Plumber, electrician, arborist, millwright and general machinist (pre-apprenticeship); electrical, plumbing, carpentry, and HVAC labs at the Centre for Skilled Trades and Technology | Toronto, Centre for Skilled Trades and Technology at Carrier Drive, Etobicoke; pre-apprenticeship route |
| Centennial College | Automotive service technician, including manufacturer programs for Toyota, Honda, General Motors, and Ford | Ashtonbee Campus, Toronto; apprenticeship requires current employment as an apprentice |
George Brown College is a Training Delivery Agent for Ontario's Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development and offers apprenticeships in the construction, manufacturing, and culinary sectors. Its Accelerated Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program offered seven Level 1 programs in Winter 2026: Construction and Maintenance Electrician Apprentice (309A), Plumber Apprentice (306A), Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Systems Mechanic Apprentice (313A), Basic Carpentry Apprentice (403A), Sheet Metal Worker (308A), Cook (415A), and Baker (423A). The schooling in that program is Level 1 of trade school for apprentice training, delivered over 8 weeks for carpentry, plumbing, refrigeration, and sheet metal, 9 weeks for electrician, and 15 weeks for cook and baker programs. George Brown also runs a 32-week Industrial Mechanic Millwright Pre-Apprenticeship program, with 14 weeks of Level 1 millwright courses, a secondary trade week in welding, and an 8-week work placement of 280 hours. That program charges no fees, with textbooks, safety equipment, and tools included.
Humber Polytechnic trains at its Centre for Skilled Trades and Technology at Carrier Drive in Etobicoke, described by Humber as one of Canada's leading facilities for apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship training, with fully equipped labs for electrical, plumbing, carpentry, and HVAC. Its pre-apprenticeship programs are tuition-free for those who qualify and are funded by the Government of Ontario. The Plumber Pre-Apprenticeship Program for Low-Income Women runs 10 weeks and gives the equivalent of Level 1 plumber apprentice training plus exposure to the electrician trade, followed by a work placement of 8 to 12 weeks. The Plumber/Welding Pre-Apprenticeship runs 12 weeks for youth aged 18 to 29, with the same Level 1 equivalence and placement structure. The Electrician Pre-Apprenticeship gives the equivalent of Level 1 Electrician Apprentice training in construction and maintenance, plus exposure to millwright work. Humber's plumbing shop teaches workplace safety, pipe and fitting materials, plumbing fixtures, trade calculations, construction drawings, codes, drainage, venting, and water distribution systems. Humber also lists arborist, horticulture, carpentry and renovation, heating and refrigeration, and industrial electrician programs among its skilled trades offerings.
Centennial College is the automotive specialist among the three. Its School of Transportation at Ashtonbee Campus is described by Centennial as the largest transportation training hub in Ontario. The Automotive Service Technician apprenticeship program covers engines, electrical and electronics, fuels, transmissions, drivelines, steering, suspension, and brakes, with in-school options of an 8-week block, one day a week for 36 weeks, or two nights a week for 40 weeks. Applicants must currently be employed as an apprentice. Centennial also runs manufacturer-modified apprenticeship programs: Toyota TDAP, Honda AHAP, General Motors ASEP, and Ford ASSET, each alternating 32 weeks in school with 32 weeks of paid work at a dealer, and each requiring employment with that manufacturer's dealership and registration as an apprentice with the ministry and Skilled Trades Ontario. The Automotive Service Technician Pre-Apprenticeship runs 33 weeks in three phases — 8 weeks of introductory skills, 13 weeks of technical skills, and a 12-week industry placement — and is tuition-free and funded by the Government of Ontario.
Beyond Toronto
If none of the three Toronto providers covers your trade, look to the wider Greater Toronto Area rather than guessing at a provider's status. The Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program materials name training delivery agents in the region beyond the three colleges, including union joint apprenticeship and training centres. For every provider, confirm Training Delivery Agent status with Skilled Trades Ontario and current intakes on the provider's own program page before applying. A provider's name on a directory list is not proof that a given trade's classroom instruction is currently running there.
Related guides
- Trade schools in Calgary: SAIT and the Piping Industry Training School, the Calgary pattern this guide follows.
- Trade schools in Vancouver: Vancouver Community College and BCIT, the British Columbia pattern.
- Trade schools in Edmonton: the Alberta pattern, with NAIT.
- How to become an electrician apprentice in Ontario: the Ontario electrician apprenticeship route in full.
- How to become a plumber apprentice in Ontario: the Ontario plumber apprenticeship route in full.
From trade to classroom, in Toronto
- Pick your tradeElectrician, plumber, carpenter, refrigeration mechanic, sheet metal worker, cook, baker, millwright, automotive service technician, and the other trades the three Toronto providers cover.
- Match the trade to a providerGeorge Brown covers electrician, plumber, carpenter, refrigeration, sheet metal, cook, and baker; Humber covers plumber, electrician, and arborist pre-apprenticeship training; Centennial covers automotive service technician apprenticeship training.
- Check whether you need an employer firstCentennial's automotive apprenticeship requires current employment as an apprentice; pre-apprenticeship programs are the route for people without an employer yet.
- Confirm before you applyOpen the program page linked in the table and check current intakes and admission requirements.
Questions people ask
Which trade schools in Toronto offer apprenticeship classroom instruction?
Three providers were checked on their own pages on October 28, 2026. George Brown College is a Training Delivery Agent for the Ontario ministry that oversees apprenticeships. Humber Polytechnic runs a Centre for Skilled Trades and Technology plus pre-apprenticeship programs. Centennial College runs automotive service technician apprenticeship training at Ashtonbee Campus. The table below lists what each covers, with a link to its program page.
Do I need an employer before I can start trade school in Toronto?
For Centennial's automotive apprenticeship, yes: applicants must already be employed as an apprentice. The high-school route is different. George Brown's Accelerated Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program delivers Level 1 training to full-time high-school students through their school. Adults without an employer should look at pre-apprenticeship programs instead. Humber's plumber and electrician pre-apprenticeship courses give Level 1 equivalent training and a placement, and Centennial's automotive pre-apprenticeship gives Level 1 training and help finding a placement.
Does George Brown offer plumber and electrician apprenticeships in Toronto?
It offers Level 1 training in both, through the Accelerated Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program. That program's Winter 2026 list includes Construction and Maintenance Electrician Apprentice (309A) and Plumber Apprentice (306A), alongside refrigeration, carpentry, sheet metal, cook, and baker. Students can complete levels I, II, and III at George Brown. The Accelerated OYAP list is a high-school program with its own application process, so check George Brown's apprenticeship pages for the adult intake and the current schedule rather than assuming the OYAP dates apply.
What is the difference between an apprenticeship program and a pre-apprenticeship program in Toronto?
An apprenticeship program delivers the classroom levels to someone who is already registered as an apprentice and working for an employer. A pre-apprenticeship program gets someone ready to become an apprentice. It teaches Level 1 material, adds safety certificates and work-readiness training, and includes a placement, but registration as an apprentice still has to happen. Humber's pre-apprenticeship courses cost nothing for those who qualify, with provincial funding, and include First Aid/CPR and Working at Heights. Centennial's automotive pre-apprenticeship is also free for qualifiers, runs 33 weeks, and ends with a 12-week placement.
Are George Brown, Humber, and Centennial the only trade schools in Toronto?
No claim of that kind is made here. These are the three whose trades were verified on their own official pages for this guide. Seneca Polytechnic was not checked that way in this round, so it is not listed on directory evidence alone. Union training centres deliver apprenticeship training in Toronto as well, and Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program material names other training delivery agents in the region. Check any provider's Training Delivery Agent status and its current intakes on its own program page before applying.
Sources
- George Brown College, Apprenticeship Programs — Training Delivery Agent status, construction, manufacturing, and culinary apprenticeships —
- George Brown College, Accelerated Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program — seven Winter 2026 Level 1 programs, trade codes, program lengths —
- George Brown College, Industrial Millwright Pre-Apprenticeship — 32 weeks, Level 1 millwright courses, 280-hour placement, no fees —
- Humber Polytechnic, Pre-Apprenticeship — plumber, electrician, and arborist pre-apprenticeship programs, tuition-free, Government of Ontario funded —
- Humber Polytechnic, Plumber Pre-Apprenticeship Program for Low-Income Women — 10 weeks, Level 1 equivalence, 8 to 12 week placement —
- Humber Polytechnic, Centre for Skilled Trades — electrical, plumbing, carpentry, and HVAC labs, Plumber Apprenticeship program —
- Centennial College, Automotive Service Technician Apprenticeship Training — systems covered, employment-as-apprentice requirement, in-school session options —
- Centennial College, Automotive Service Technician Pre-Apprenticeship — 33 weeks, three phases, tuition-free, Level 1 training —
- Centennial College, Automotive Service Technician Toyota TDAP — 32 weeks in school and 32 weeks of work, dealer employment and apprentice registration required —
Where a provider could not be verified on its own official page at the time of writing — Seneca Polytechnic's trades dataset, and union training centres in Toronto — this guide does not list it. Check the provider's own program page and Skilled Trades Ontario's Training Delivery Agent list before applying anywhere not listed here.