Off-Campus Education

Benefits for Students

1. Get a head start on a trade. Most trades are 4 years in length and 1500 hours of work each year. All of the hours the students work in high school go towards that first year and beyond.
2. Earn significant high school credits and earn while you learn.
3. Build your skill set and your resume. Even if you do not pursue the trade after high school, you developed a skill set of critical thinking, learning to work safely, following multiple instructions, developing a strong work ethic etc. that employers are looking for.
4. It's an opportunity to dovetail career paths and education types: for example, become an electrician (college) and an electrical engineer (university). What an excellent way of combining the practical and theoretical ways of learning.

Benefits for employers 

Access young, motivated, screened and teachable students for their workforce. 

Differences from regular apprentices 

1. Employers are not required to pay the students the regular 60% wage of journeyman wages that first year apprentices earn. 
2. RAP students do not need to earn their first year hours in the 18 month span required for other apprentices. 
3. Screened students for attendance, punctuality, aptitude, work ethic, genuine interest in the trade and motivation-plus other requirements, such as driver’s licence that may be required by employers. 
4. Worker’s compensation coverage by Alberta Education.
5. On-going support and monitoring by the off-campus education coordinator to promote continued success and development of the student in the trade.

General Process 

1. Students are screened and communication occurs with parents or guardians. 
2. One or two days of job shadow are arranged. Off campus education will ensure that the student has the required PPE. 
3. If there is a positive outcome form both the employer and student’s side a more extensive work experience can be arranged to ensure the student has the soft and hard skills required for the position and to assess further interest on the part of the student. During this time the employer is not required to pay the student. 
4. If there is a good fit, and the schedule can be arranged to ensure there is sufficient time to be productive employment (mornings or afternoons availability etc), the student is signed up as an apprentice. As a RAP student the employer must pay the student minimum wage or higher. In order for RAP to begin HCS 3000 needs to be completed.

High School Credits

1. Up to 40 high school credits can be earned. This would be 1,000 hours of work. Students need to work a minimum of 125 hours which would give 5 credits. 
2. You meed to submit monthly hours in person to the practitioner or email or text a picture of them to her. We encourage the emailing and texting in order to reduce paperwork.

Information Links for students

1. Visit www.tradesecrets.alberta.ca for a detailed description of all 50 trades in Alberta
2. View business websites to see what the companies do.

Entrance Requirements

1. You need to be 15 and in Grade 10.

2. The following chart shows the required entrance requirements for each trade. You can be signed up in RAP if you miss a course, but if you pursue the trade after high school and apply for technical training you will need to have the minimum high school requirements or pass the trade entrance exam with a minimum of 70 per cent.

Contact Information 

Darin Gibson: darin.gibson@lethsd.ab.ca or (403) 315-9022

Darin will be at Chinook High School each Wednesday from 8:30-10:30 a.m.

For all other RAP inquiries please contact Andrew Krul, the Off-Campus Education Co-ordinator: andrew.krul@lethsd.ab.ca or 403-894 0375