Monday, November 29, 2010

SUCCESS! From High School to Career. Experiential Learning at its finest.




Monica Soulabaille, owner, & Meagan Luftman, apprentice at Patisserie D’Or



Patisserie D’Or Profile

Monica Soulabaille, owner of Patisserie D’Or in Oakville, is enthusiastic about www.apprenticesearch.com. “It’s the only place I go when I need to hire a baker apprentice. I appreciate being able to log in and check out the jobseekers myself,” she said. “I’ve used the website several times and it works really better than anything else for our business.”

The site also worked well for Meagan Luftman. A recent graduate of Robert Bateman High School in Burlington, Meagan knew she wanted to pursue her interests in cooking and baking after high school. She developed her culinary skills while in school by completing a co-op placement in a local bakery and participating in regional and provincial skills competitions.


It was at the Ontario Skills Competition in Waterloo in May 2010 that Meagan picked up a flyer from www.apprenticesearch.com. She decided to register on the website after graduating from Robert Bateman. After posting her resume and checking the apprenticesearch job board, she applied for the baker apprentice position posted by Patisserie D’Or. “Things moved quickly from there,” she said. “Within three days I had an interview and was asked to start work. This site has worked so well for me that I have told several of my friends to give it a try.”

Things have worked out well for both employer and apprentice. “We’re very pleased with Meagan’s positive and enthusiastic nature,” said Monica. “She is very reliable and is a quick learner.”

Meagan agrees there’s a lot to learn. “I never really have done serious French baking before. I’m constantly learning new things as we prepare croissants, tarts, cakes, and pastries – all freshly made on the premises. It’s been a great experience for me,” she said. Monica’s husband Jean-Luc is the pastry chef who oversees Meagan’s training.

Patisserie D’Or (see www.patisseriedor.com for additional information) has registered Meagan as an apprentice with the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities. She hopes to attend George Brown College in Toronto for the in-class portion of the apprenticeship at. In the meantime, the on-the-job training (and learning) in Oakville will keep her busy!

Job # 5531 Refrig & AC Mechanic 1st year apprenticesearch.com

Great Hamilton Opportunity! Must be at least a registered 1st year HVAC but are hiring for all apprenticeship levels. Register on the website and upload your resume for FREE once approved you can search all the skilled trade apprenticeships on the website.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

#2 for 2010

Thanks to everyone at apprenticesearch.com for another great year of racing. Our team had many highlights this season. We set a Pro Challenge track record for qualifying and won 3 races including a 50 lap special event. Thanks to all those who cheered for our team this year. We will be back next season looking to move up one more spot in the championship.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Ottawa Job #5460 1st year Automotive Service Tech apprenticeship

Job #5460 1st year Automotive Service Tech apprenticeship at an Ottawa Dealership check out www.apprenticesearch.com

Job #5443 1st year Early Childhood Educator in London

Job #5443 1st year Early Childhood Educator
apprenticeship in London check out and register at www.apprenticesearch.com

Monday, October 18, 2010

Winners will be announced soon

The Celebrate Ten Count Contest is now closed and winners will be announced soon. You will be notified if you are a winner. A list will be posted at a later date.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

want to WIN a Cash Prize

Check out our contest where you could win 1 (one) of 10 cash prizes of $100. See our June newsletter for details!

Click here for link Contest closes October 10th, 2010

Monday, September 20, 2010

It's Raining again

We were optimistic that the rain would hold off all night. The repairs to the car were all good. The car was very fast and drove well. After a couple of small adjustments to the brake system, we were right where we needed to be. Unfortunately we needed to be under our tents as the rain came and washed away any hopes of racing. Looks like Flamboro will be it for the year. Hope to see everyone out there cheering us on. Let's hope for some nice weather.

Hey Mister, Your going the wrong way

Kawartha was a rough night for the appsearch team. We were pretty quick in the heat race and had a good run going for the feature. A change in the schedule made our choice of set up wrong. The car was too tight and the front tires were just pushing along the track. We will remember that for next year. On the last lap we attempted to pass for 4th position. The 40 car drove it in way too far and he started to spin right in front of us. I lifted off the gas as he body checked our right front. This allowed him to save his car and allowed us to get spun by the car behind us. Not too bad, we didn't hit anything, or so I thought. It seemed like a long time watching cars fly past me facing the wrong direction on the track. Then the last 2 cars got together way back in the corner. I watched them touch once, twice and start spinning towards me. They got bigger in a hurry. Next thing I know the 60 car is almost on my lap. So we had to say good bye to the left front of the car, to bad it nearly made it all year. Testing on Tuesday found some issues and we repaired them easily. Off to Sunset.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Behind the scenes G8 and the local trades (text and photos)

Read this fantastic article about how it took many skilled trades people working cooperatively to create a successful environment to host the recent G8 (Group of Eight) summit. Just ask Steve Hibbert from Digital Electric Inc. in Burlington. (see www.digital-electricinc.com for more information)PDF article with photos

Monday, August 30, 2010

Help us out with a couple of minutes of your time & possibly win a $25 gift card

In our quest to make Apprenticesearch.com even easier to access, we are currently investigating the development of a SmartPhone version (for Blackberry, Android, etc.) and an iPhone/iPad/iPod “Apprenticesearch App” of our website & job bank.

Could you please help us, by completing a very brief survey (only 5 questions): click here? Please feel comfortable to let us know if and how these new versions would assist you with your students/clients. Also, please share this link with anyone who would be interested. We want to hear from all potential Apprenticesearch users, including educators, employers, community agencies, students, job seekers and more.

There will be a draw for a $25 gift card for 1 lucky participant.

Thank you so much for your help!

Thinking about becoming a Brick & Stone Mason Check out apprenticesearch.com


for more videos go to the about trades section on apprenticesearch.com

Monday, August 23, 2010

Time Trials and 50 laps at the Beach

The weather was terrible all the way to the front gate of Sauble Speedway. As soon as we pulled in the rain stopped and the sun tried to peek out from behind the clouds. We had a new procedure for qualifying at this race. Our series mandated transponders to allow official times to be documented. With the system up and running we did 2 laps of qualifying. One by one the drivers took to the track. Each trying to be faster than the car before them. We qualified second last based on points. Our first lap was nothing to write home about, 6th on the speed chart. My plan worked as the heat built up in the tires just enough. Lap 2 was great, the only car in the field to break the 16 second mark. 15.87 secs. We were 3 tenths faster than anyone else and on the pole position for the feature. With our inversion to set the field we lined up in 7th for the start. we wasted no time getting to the front, on lap 10 we set sail, but we had an anchor behind us. The 02 car was glued to my back bumper. This is the first 50 lap feature we have run in 3 years. I know I had the fastest car, but how fast is fast enough to last 50 laps on the tires and brakes. I drove smooth, Dave called a great race on the radios, and we saved the car for the end. Just in time for a caution with 4 laps to go. There went my 3 car length lead. Why make it easy. On the restart the track was very slippery from the oil from the 16 cars blown motor. I had a decent restart and pulled a little on second place. Another caution came out for contact. All I needed was another good start and no mistakes to take the win. We did and on the last corner I drifted a little high. The 02 drove to the inside and we went side by side across the line. I was ahead by half a car. It was a great night for our team. Thanks to the rowdy fans up in turn 4 for cheering so loud. Up next is Kawartha Speedway, we won there last year and hope to repeat.

Monday, August 9, 2010

First at Flamboro

Finally a perfect day of racing. The weather was warm, a nice breeze and a trip to our local speedway. After the short drive down the road, we unloaded the car and could just relax. It was a big race night for our division and for the late models. All the fastest drivers were there, including some Nascar Canadian drivers. It was good to see the driver I had spotted for some many years ago. He was now spotting for the 66 car in our series. We had something to prove. Add into the mix we had about 75 relatives and close friends at the track. We kept to ourselves and stuck to our race plan. In the heat race we finished second, we almost completed a pass for the win but backed out. The feature we started near the back of the field. We wanted to be out front early on and passed cars as quick as we could to get there. Just before half way we took the lead and set sail. Then we had a series of HUGE wrecks. Some of the cars were really destroyed. A couple of red flags and what seemed to take forever to clean up the mess, we went back to green. This was starting to feel like Mosport all over again. This time we put in solid lap times and stayed in the best racing groove we could. On lap 30 we took the checkers and started our celebration. We were perfect in tech lane and the win was ours. Thanks to all who came out to cheer, support and just say hi. It is great to win on our home track. This gives us a little more confidence going to Sauble in a couple of weeks. Next up 50 lap feature and 2 laps of time trials. Should be some fun. See you at the beach.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Rain Delay

It was an interesting trip up to Varney. I have only been there once before 10 + years ago. Since then a new paving job and a track design change. Add in a days worth of rain and us waiting until 6 pm before we could practice, nobody knew what to expect. Dave and I tried a new set up on the car and we were shocked at how uncomfortable the car was to drive. All the changes were supposed to make it comfortable, so we learned something after the heat race. Go back to what we know works. After that we started our 50 lap feature in 17th position. Soon after the start the race officials called it a 30 lap race. Once we found this out I had to start hustling. We made it up to 4th and then I got pushed up high on the track and spun out the car. We did not hit anything, very lucky. To the back of the pack again, all the ground I made up before had to start again. With 11 laps remaining I started again in 17th. At the checkered flag we made it back up to 4th. A good finish for us, if only we had another 20 laps. Overall a pretty good night for us. We passed 26 cars in 30 laps even with the rain, shortage of practice and race laps. Over we go to Flamboro our home track, Aug 7. See you there.

From the wrecker to the checkers

Sunset proved to be a turning point for our team. The last time we visited the facility we left the track on the tow truck. The first time in my car racing career we could not finish a race. This was a very tough time for us. After Mosport and the flat tire our team was somewhat flat as well. A quick test at the local track and some new brakes seemed to be what we were missing. We won the heat race and lined up deep in the field for the feature. We pushed the car as hard as possible and we were at the front by half way. We had many restarts and cautions to deal with. All the while we kept a fast pace and a steady lead to the checkered flag. this is what the team needed and it really turned our spirits around. Next up is Varney.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Mosport Fan Appreciation Night

Finally some really nice racing weather. Down the 401 we go and up to Mosport. I really like this track, the asphalt is old, rough and really bumpy. This place separates the drivers unlike some other tracks we race at. To go fast here, you need to drive the car smooth but aggressive. I have the aggressive part figured out, I just wasn't so smooth. Thomson and I are the only winners here in our series history. So you you know how bad I wanted to win again. It has been a while and this was our place to make it happen. The heat went great, a small adjustment to the front end after practice proved to be the right call. We started 8Th and only had 8 laps top get to the front. The apprenticesearch car picked off drivers pretty easy and at the half way mark we were in second place. Once we passed the leader, it was all over as I stretched the lead to about 8 seconds. The fans all came down during the intermission and it was great to see all the people who follow my team and cheer for us. It's funny that some of my fans get really mad when I don't do well. Lots of fans watched us struggle with the wall at Sunset and were pleased to see the car at the front again. In the feature we started from the pole and got off to a great start. We were up front until the halfway mark of the race when the track was red flagged for a big wreck on the front straight. Once we got rolling again the pace car made us drive down pit road while they cleaned up the track. On the restart my car felt a little bit off, for the next 15 laps it became a struggle to keep the pace of the leaders. One at a time they started to pick me off, the 02 was first, then 66 and on the last corner the 99 got by me with a pretty rough pass. I was really mad at how the car changed, I thought it was my driving, I wasn't sure what really happened. Once I was out of the car, I could hear what was wrong. The right front tire had a small hole in it and was leaking air. It was down 16 pounds compared to normal. So I felt a little better about giving up spots late in the race. Good news though, 4 new tires for Sunset on July 17. See you there.

At the beach

The Sauble Beach race started out very wet and soggy. We drove into the rain the entire way there. About 5 minutes away the sun came out and dried everything up nicely. The races were very exciting. We had a battle the whole race, with the leaders. Side by side action for almost the whole race, with the top four drivers gunning for the win. First it was Forbes, then my turn, then Nicholson's turn, and then along came Thomson. With a hand full of laps to go, I put a sweet pass on the 99 car for second, or so I thought. He had different plans and came down the track and we had contact. My right front rolled up onto his left rear exiting turn two. The contact knocked my hands off the steering wheel and sent me spinning into the infield at full speed. I slid in the wet grass for almost the whole back straightaway before regaining control of the car. As I pulled it back onto the track, I was passed by the 04 car. Not too bad, we only lost one spot. it was neat to see how fast the emergency crew can run when a car is aimed at them at 65 MPH, glad we missed everyone. A late caution came out and we took advantage of the restart. We passed up to 3rd and almost got second, half a car back. It was a fun night for everyone. One of the closest battles up front in recent history. Off to Mosport.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Rain Out

After about what seemed to be an eternity in the shop, the car was alll back together. Sat morning after about 60 hours of labour we tested the car on our private secret test track. The car ran well, did everything it was asked and was quite fast. Just ask Dave. Thanks to everyone that helped repair the car. We used an auto body tech, welder, machinist, small engine tech, and even had a trailer tech help us out. Not to mention our tire specialist, chassis specialist and even the kids helped out. After all the hard work, blood, sweat and tears we loaded the Hudson Hornet up and were ready to go. Just moments into our trip the sky opened up and down came the rain. They called the race shortly after that. Thanks again to all those that helped make the repairs. See you at Sauble.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

And then the wheels came off the wagon

What a rough night for the apprenticesearch team. The car was very well prepared and very fast. The troubles started early in the first heat. The car in front on the starting grid was leaking gas all over the track and my car. I called on the radio to have him black flagged, but no luck. We went into the first corner and he slid in his own gas, so did I. I spun him around and we didn't even make it half a lap. We managed to come back and finish fourth place. In the feature we had the car to beat. We started quickly moving past the cars in front of us. With about 5 laps to go we had a caution for a couple of spun out cars. On the restart I was pressuring the leader when my car took off up the track. We hit the front stretch wall and that ended our night. The centre of the wheel broke and the whole rim and tire went flying high in the air and down the racetrack. I am just glad that there were no injuries. Our safety equipment was put to the test as I had lots of sparks inside the car and a pretty Good hit into the wall. I am glad that I have invested in quality equipment. Overall it didn't even hurt too much. Just mad that we were running so good and to have a $150 rim cause so much extra work. Looks like we will be back on track for Varney next Sat. The guys at the shop have one busy week ahead of them.

Monday, May 31, 2010

Fresh off a win here is Tim Norris's Race Schedule


After last weeks win you may be inclined to come out and cheer Tim on, and witness the action. If interested here is a link to Tim's race schedule. GOOD LUCK #88!!!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Sun at Sunset

After the first rain out of the year. The drivers are all excited to head to Sunset. We hope the weatherman brings us sun and nice weather. Come out and see us May 29 and see the hot new apprenticesearch.com race car.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Becoming a Certified Horticultural Technician

April showers not only bring May flowers, but they also create jobs! Horticultural technician apprenticeships are popping up all over Apprenticesearch.com. This untraditional trade is becoming more and more popular among employers and job seekers alike, and why not? In 2007, Canadians spent $8.1 billion on landscape and garden products!
Becoming a certified horticultural technician involves 4000 - 6000 hours (2-3 years) of on the job and 2 in-school components (8 weeks basic level and a 12 week advanced level). While the minimum entry grade is grade 12, both GED and ACE are now accepted as equivalents. This service sector skilled trade can lead to a career in such growth industries as landscape, horticulture, construction, maintenance, irrigation, lighting and lawn care.
To read more about the horticultural technician apprenticeship, please visit About Trades on Apprenticesearch.com. For additional info, check out horttrades apprenticeship. To search our job bank and apply for apprenticeship positions, please register and post your resume on Apprenticesearch.com!

Monday, May 3, 2010

Find out more about some fantastic Financial Incentives for Apprentices and Employers

Check out this PDF to find more about some of the fantastic Financial Incentives one of them being up to $40,000 in tax credits available for training an apprentice.......

signing bonuses, completion bonus, Red Seal Bonus, loans for tools, and tool cost writeoffs

link to appsearch site

Monday, April 26, 2010

Tool Box Talks

One of the most valuable safety related tools, isn't a tool at all. Recently we have implemented a mandatory morning meeting. We call it the toolbox talk. All employees are brought in and we discuss the days workload, process and hazards. We include all the employees and ask them for their input. We have found a reduction in injuries, and the shop is more organized. Everyone receives the same information and they can all work together to ensure the workload is organized and executed safely. Once all the hazards and safety measures have been discussed, we write them in the book and everyone signs off that they have the proper instructions for the day. The meetings bring everyone together and we have different employees give the talk. Once everyone has had a turn at it they become more comfortable and the meetings take about ten minutes. From a supervisors standpoint, a ten minute meeting can save hours of paperwork from injuries. Toolbox talks are fast and easy, try them for yourself and get everyone involved.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Testimonial from Industrial Machine Service: Committed to Apprenticeship


Industrial Machine Service is a small, Brampton-based company that specializes in two areas: custom machinery design and electrical / mechanical service to industrial and
commercial customers. Almost everyone who works at the company is a skilled
tradesperson, including tool and die makers, machinists, millwrights, welder-fitters, and electricians.

IMS is very committed to apprenticeship; Dave Tullis, the owner and founder, started out as a tool and die and millwright apprentice himself, and understands the importance of this type of training. Many of his staff are both licensed tradespeople in one trade and apprentices in another. All the employees work closely as a team and frequently learn from each other. It’s an environment that greatly benefits new apprentices joining the team, as they can develop a wide range of skills and get exposed to a wide range of challenges.

Over the years, the company has consistently turned to www.apprenticesearch.com to meet its hiring needs. Mary Morton, the office manager at Industrial Machine Service, is enthusiastic about the website. “Apprenticesearch is easy to use and we have had great results. I appreciate that I can search the jobseeker database myself to find suitable candidates. At least three of our current 10 employees were hired through apprenticesearch. I know when I use the service I will find applicants who meet our own high standards.”

Mary said she looks for several qualities when hiring an apprentice – past experience, a good personality fit with other employees, and an ability to work well both on a team and individually. “Apprenticesearch has consistently helped us find the apprentices we need,” she said. “We rarely need to use newspaper ads or other job boards any more.”

Monday, March 29, 2010

Creation of a College of Trades, Report of the Advisor to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities

To The Honourable John Milloy
Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities

This report sets out a number of recommendations to support the creation of a College of Trades which, if adopted by the government will, in my view, contribute to the modernization of the apprenticeship and certification system in Ontario to make it more responsive to economic needs while enhancing the status and effectiveness of apprenticeship trades in the province.

109 page report prepared by Kevin Whitaker, Advisor
Click here for report

Are You Interested in Being Profiled on the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF) Website?

The CAF is looking for apprentices who have been successful in
finding an employer sponsor.
We want to hear about:
- What influenced you to apprentice in your trade?
- How you went about finding an employer?
- What challenges you faced?
- How you addressed those challenges?
- What advice would you give young people on how to find an
employer sponsor?
We are looking for people from across Canada in any of the Red
Seal trades. We also want the profiles to cover the full range of
diversity including women, visible minorities, Aboriginal people
and people with disabilities. If selected for an interview, you will
receive a $50 honorarium. click here for more details

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Green Jobs and the Skilled Trades

Times are changing and so are skilled trade jobs. Take a look at what is coming available Green Jobs Initiatives Report and Career Profiles. .

Monday, January 11, 2010

More New Jobs all over Ontario

New vacancies Automotive Service Technician(s), Bricklayer, Chef, Refrigeration and AC Mechanic, Plumber check us at www.apprenticesearch.com

Thursday, January 7, 2010

New Jobs in the system various locations

NEW JOBS Welder, Tool & Die, Auto Service Tech(s), Refrigeration & AC Mechanic, Transmission Tech, Composite Structures tech, Fitter (Structural Steel/Platework) as always check us out at www.apprenticesearch.com