Success stories: Jimmy

Watch Jimmy's video

Jimmy’s story: Automotive Apprentice

After high school, Jimmy Bowes followed the path that more than 150,000 of his peers take to post-secondary. But he soon realized that he had another calling. “I did go to university and found I didn’t like it, so I switched over to Automotive Services.”

Jimmy made the decision to start an apprenticeship and head to trade school. “It’s more of a personal decision, you just have to find what you like to do. I’ve always been tinkering, taking things apart and building things,” he says.

Over time, he completed further technical training. “I’m doing my apprenticeship in Nova Scotia. It’s four years long, but you have to complete a certain number of hours too. So currently I’m working towards my hours so I can go back to school and complete my in-class training.”

Jimmy received the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant: apprentices in a designated Red Seal trade are eligible to receive a taxable cash grant of $1,000 per year for registered apprentices who successfully complete their first and/or second year/level (or equivalent) of an apprenticeship program in a designated Red Seal trade, up to a maximum of $2,000. Highly valued by employers, the Red Seal Program promotes a national standard of excellence in the skilled trades.

Apprenticeship Grants helped Jimmy offset the cost of his training and provided him with the funds to buy the tools he needed. “It’s basically free money to help you get more tools and more schooling and get better in your trade,” he says.

As part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan, the federal government made a commitment to encourage skilled trades and apprenticeships by investing in apprenticeship grants. To date the Government has provided over 500 000 apprenticeship grants to help Canadians participating in one of the 57 designated Red Seal trades. For more information on how to apply, visit Canada.ca/Apprentice.

Learn more about support for apprentices

Find more videos on the ESDC YouTube about apprenticeship training and skills support from the Government of Canada.

Visit Support for apprentices for information on more programs available to help apprentices complete their training and for employers to hire and train apprentices.