Winter apprenticeship training
It’s not too late to enroll promising employees into the 2005 winter in-school training portion of the Horticultural Technician or Arborist Apprenticeship Programs.
While on-the-job training accounts for the majority of the apprenticeship program, would-be apprentices still need to take two in-school components – an eight-week course in the first year, and then the advanced 12-week program, delivered by colleges or other Training Delivery Agents appointed by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU).
To start the apprenticeship ball rolling, you must first call the MTCU and schedule a sign-up appointment with a training consultant. The employee must be working in the industry (or on seasonal lay-off from the industry). They must have a SIN number, must be a Grade 12 Ontario Secondary School Graduate (OSSD) or equivalent and must produce a Grade 12 transcript of their marks. A $40 registration fee issued to the MTCU must accompany each application.
The MTCU will cover 85 per cent of the cost of the in-school training, and the employee is eligible to receive EI benefits while they are in school. If you have an interested employee and you move quickly, they could be in training by January 2005.
Contact the MTCU at 1-888-JOB-GROW or call Terry Murphy at 1-800-265-5656, ext. 317 for further details or for answers to any registration questions.
High school co-op is the way to go!
In the Ontario high school system, students can receive credits towards their high school diploma by working in industry. Many students go into the workplace each year to see how business works and to get some real job experience. Each high school has its own co-op teacher to facilitate the linkage between students and the employer. It is one of the pathways from school to work and it gives young people a chance to see what the real world of business is all about in a field of their interest.
This program can be a real asset for the landscape industry. If we can get a high school student out with a landscape contractor or in a nursery, to get some exposure to the landscape – nursery business and they really enjoy their work term, there is a good chance that they will consider horticulture as their chosen career. Many co-op terms have resulted in a full-time careers in our business because an employer took the time to take a co-op student and put them to work in their company. Normally, the student’s time is free but many employers give an honorarium at the end of the term as a thank-you to the student. Many of our industry’s co-op’s take place in April, May and June, and result into full time summer employment.
Co-op programs are a way to develop a labour supply for our industry. It doesn’t happen overnight and it takes an effort from the employer. It can result in part- or full-time employees in the future. Please consider taking on a co-op student. Co-op programs will pay you great dividends by potentially adding labour that you can develop into a full time future employee.
Wanted: teachers
The landscape industry is always looking for quality instructors for teaching in the winter season.
To teach at the high school level in Ontario, industry members need to have their “Ontario Teachers License.” Teaching in programs such as college programs, apprenticeship programs, our Landscape Ontario Industry Winter Workshop Program, and others do not require a “license” but rather teachers must have a proven skill and knowledge on a particular subject area and the ability to share that information with a group. Who better knows the details of a particular horticultural subject area than someone who has or is currently working in the horticultural industry?
As the industry further markets and develops our provincial “Horticultural Technician” Apprenticeship Program, more quality instructors will be required. If you are interested in teaching, we would like to hear from you.
Please send your resume and a letter of explanation to Terry Murphy at Landscape Ontario, 905-875-1805, ext. 317. The letter of explanation should detail the subject area, and why you should be considered for one of these potential positions.
Safety first: SCIP 2005 registration now open
Each year, the Workers Safety Insurance Board offers its five per cent WSIB premium rebate safety program – Safe Communities Incentive Program. The SCIP program will be held in each of Landscape Ontario chapters. This WSIB management program is designed to educate you and get you started on developing a safety culture in your company, and results in savings in WSIB premiums.
“Where else do you get paid for doing what you are supposed to do to comply with Ontario safety laws?” asks Terry Murphy, co-ordinator of the LO program. “In 2003, 87 companies received rebates of $84,000 and this year, 75 got back $68,000, while fulfilling the law,” says Murphy. Benefits include compliance under Federal Bill C-45, demonstration of safety “due diligence,” the development of a safety culture that lowers accidents and a five per cent rebate on WSIB premiums. It is also a component of the new “Industry Safety Certification Program.”
Contact Terry Murphy for further sign up details. The SCIP 1 program will be offered in each Landscape Ontario chapter inFebruary, 2005.
