Workplace Apprenticeship

Advantages for the employer

• Makes you an employer of choice
• Increases your workforce’s versatility and qualification
• Ensures a competent succession
• Promotes the attraction of new employees and the retention of staff
• Recognizes workers who have experience in your company by appointing them as journeypersons
• Improves your company’s productivity
• Offers tax credits (if you meet the requirements)
• Provides access to a structured training plan adapted to the reality in the field

Advantages for the journeyperson

• Represents a new professional challenge: to pass on your know-how
• Values your professional expertise
• Provides proof that your expertise is recognized by your superiors and your peers
• Leads to obtaining a certificate of professional qualification or attestation of competency (if you have not yet obtained one of these documents)

Advantages for the apprentice

• Offers structured and quality practical training to learn a trade or to improve your skills
• Allows you to receive a salary during your training
• Allows you to become more versatile and promotes your chances of career advancement
• Is a great opportunity to develop your career without changing employers
• Leads to obtaining a certificate of professional qualification or attestation of competency

The following tools are required for training:

• The apprenticeship booklet provided to the apprentice
• The journeyperson’s guide or the apprenticeship campaign guide; the journeyperson is invited to participate in an information session regarding this role

Personnalized support is provided to the employer, the journeyperson and the apprentice by a qualification agent working at Services Québec throughout the apprenticeship.

The length of the apprenticeship is between 3 and 36 months depending on the trade and on the apprentice’s experience.  

Employer

In order to train apprentices, your responsibilities include the following:

• Ensure that the journeyperson selected has the necessary experience to train an apprentice and wishes to act as journeyperson.
• Ensure that the equipment required for the apprenticeship is available and the working conditions in your company allows for the apprenticeship of the trade.

To find out if you are eligible for the PAMT, refer to the information sheet on the appropriate trade. You can find the trades that are eligible for the PAMT in the List of voluntary-qualification trades  (French only).

Employers can learn about training apprentices by clicking Former des apprentis (in French only).

Former des apprentis

Apprentice

To become an apprentice, you must

• be at least 16 years old
• work for a company enrolled in the PAMT

To find out if you are eligible, refer to the information sheet on the trade that interests you in the List of voluntary-qualification trades  (French only).

Becoming an apprentice

The Workplace Apprenticeship Program (PAMT) allows for an experienced worker (journeyperson) to be paired within the same company with a less experienced co-worker (apprentice) to whom they pass on their know-how step after step. This proven approach is called the journeyperson system.

For a company, to participate in the PAMT is an easy and effective way to train its less experienced employees and provide them with structured support.

With respect to each of the trades eligible for the PAMT  (under Voluntary Qualification, in French only), a plan and work tools have been developed to assist apprentices and journeypersons in the process.

This plan and these tools correspond to the realities on the field, as they were created by a sectoral workforce committee, in collaboration with experts in their trade and employers.