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Build Prepared, Focused, and Reliable Teams

At Trade Smart College, our mission is to connect the right companies with the right students. We partner with trades companies to provide an effective solution to the challenges of onboarding quality entry-level employees through the 8 To Great program.

The 8 To Great Difference

We have heard time and time again about the challenges that trades companies face when recruiting and onboarding new employees. From wondering if they will show up, to whether or not they have the initiative to work hard, it is not uncommon for companies to spend the first 2 months of onboarding a new hire just determining if they will be a good match through trial and error. But what if there was a better way? What if companies didn’t have to worry about going through the whole onboarding process just to find out the candidate isn’t a good match?

That is where Trade Smart College can help.

We believe that it takes 8 months to get a good entry-level employee up to speed with the first 2 months being the most costly and time consuming for a company. At Trade Smart College, we take on those first 2 months of the onboarding process, pre-screening and vetting students who then go through 2 months of “Professional Skills Boot Camp” in class before they even show up on-site.

It starts with the uniform. In the trades, a full uniform is the starting point for every job. From there, we make sure our students are self-motivated, to happily take on the work that needs to get done. They are also adaptable, and ready for change, so they should be good at leading and managing themselves.

We begin by ensuring our students keep track of their time, so they are used to filling out timesheets before getting to a job site. We then instill in them the importance of doing quality work, and putting in the effort to make that happen.

Reliability starts with showing up early. Every day. From there we teach students how to be accountable for their actions and efforts. Trades work is teamwork, so we ensure our students understand that integrity is the foundation of effective teams.

Build Prepared, Focused, and Reliable Teams

In our 8 month program, students spend the first 2 months in class learning the professional skills that are crucial to be prepared, focused and reliable. Students who are successful in class are then given 2 weeks to earn it on-site with a company. If the company agrees that the student demonstrated that they are prepared, focused, and reliable at the end of those 2 weeks, they will then move into a 6 month paid internship with the company. We provide full support to the student and employer throughout the entire internship. At the end of the program, students gain valuable hands-on experience and companies gain an asset to their prepared, focussed, and reliable team.

Month 1-2:
Professional Skills Boot Camp
Students spend 2 months in class learning key
concepts for being a good entry-level employee
before they show upon site.

Month 2-2.5:
Internship Trial
When you take on one of our students as an intern, the first 2 weeks are their opportunity to earn it by showing you they are prepared, focused, and reliable.

Month 2.5-8:
6 Month Paid Internship
This is the student’s chance to work it and become proficient in your systems and trade. We remain as a support to the student and the company throughout the entire duration of the internship to ensure things run smoothly for both sides.

The Trade Smart Ten

The key is to recognize that all of these things are not, in fact, part of a person’s character. They are skills, and as skills they can be taught, just like swinging a golf club or welding a seam. A person is not born with integrity or a commitment to excellence. They learn these things as they grow.

At Trade Smart College, we work with our students to build these skills. Some of our students come to us with lower levels of some of these skills than others, and that’s ok. We help all of our students build them over a two-month period so they are in good shape before starting their internship.

  • Self-Leadership – the ability to proactively adjust thoughts and behaviour to achieve goals
  • Excellence – having the dedication to consistently produce high quality work
  • Professionalism – to unfailingly treat oneself and others with respect
  • Punctuality – early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable
  • Effort – recognizing that working hard is the primary determinant of success
  • Accountability – accepting responsibility for one’s actions and words
  • Integrity – acting with honesty and fairness in all aspects of life
  • Self-Motivation – actively seek opportunities for growth and work that needs to be done
  • Adaptability – an openness to change, and embracing challenges as opportunities
  • Teamwork – supporting colleagues and contributing to a productive work environment

Company Onboarding

If your company is feeling the pinch of trying to find good entry-level candidates, we would like to help. Contact us and consider becoming part of our network of Trade Smart certified companies.

Set up a meeting with our Company Integration Coordinator by clicking the link below. Learn more about why it takes 8 months to properly onboard an entry-level employee, and how we take on the first two months of the process. We do this so when a student shows up as an intern on your jobsite, they are prepared, focused and reliable, even if they don’t know much about the trade.

Most of our employers are looking to add a few new people each year. Some have higher requirements, and some can only take 1 or 2. Let us know what your expectations are, as well as any special requirements around things like safety training, travel expectations, or background checks.

For each company, we combine our curriculum with your requirements and put together a specific plan to help you meet your growth goals. We do our best to provide you with prepared, focused and reliable interns by matching our students with your requirements, and providing candidates according to your schedule.

When you take on one of our students, the first two weeks of their internship is unpaid. This is their chance to earn a paid internship by showing you that they have the professional skills to be a good employee. If they meet your requirements, we ask that you sign them as a paid intern and begin their journey as another one of your great employees.

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