Apprenticeship
Earn your Red Seal in Construction Craft Worker or Cement Finisher — fully MLITSD-approved apprenticeship at Local 1089's Training Centre.
MLITSD-approved apprenticeship training in Sarnia.
The LiUNA Local 1089 Training Centre is a Training Delivery Agent (TDA) for the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD), delivering the Construction Craft Worker and Cement (Concrete) Finisher apprenticeship programs.
Skilled Trades Ontario registers and tracks each apprentice's progress, schooling, and on-the-job hours. Apprentices eligible for Employment Insurance (EI) continue to collect during in-school sessions; those ineligible may qualify for financial assistance through the MLITSD's Apprentice Development Benefit.
See the program in action
Earning your Certificate of Apprenticeship
The numbers behind the Red Seal.
In-school training (two 8-week sessions)
On-the-job training required
MLITSD-approved programs
Interprovincial trade designation
Deep-dive into each apprenticeship
What CCW apprentices do: Construction Craft Workers play a vital role on every job site — site preparation and cleanup, setting up and removing access equipment, assisting with concrete, masonry, steel, wood, and pre-cast structures, handling materials and operating equipment, performing demolition, excavation, and compaction, and supporting site safety.
Where they work: Residential and ICI (industrial, commercial, institutional) construction; roads, bridges, tunnels, and railways; hydroelectric dams and mining; utilities, landscaping, and pipeline projects. Both private contractors and municipal, provincial, and federal projects.
Curriculum (16 weeks):
- Construction Safety I & II
- Blueprints and Specifications I & II
- Construction Tools I & II
- Stationary Equipment I & II
- Hoisting, Rigging and Material Handling I & II
- Introduction to Formwork I & II
- Introduction to Concrete I & II
- Introduction to Scaffolds I & II
- Earthwork, Barriers and Controls I & II
Career paths: With experience and additional training, workers can specialize in heavy equipment, drilling, blasting, tunnelling, sandblasting, traffic control, and emergency response.
What concrete finishers do: Place, finish, protect, and repair concrete on floors, walls, sidewalks, stairs, driveways, curbs, gutters, buildings, bridges, tunnels, and dams. The work includes texturing, grinding, curing, and restoring concrete; applying finishes like exposed aggregate, stamped, broomed, smooth, and etched surfaces; installing joints, anchor bolts, steel plates, and embedded fixtures; and applying waterproofing systems.
Technical knowledge: Mix designs, additives, curing methods, strength, durability, and finishing techniques. Materials include concrete and grout, epoxies, polyurethanes, acrylics, and chemical curing compounds.
Curriculum:
- History and Scope of the Cement (Concrete) Finisher Trades
- Communications and Presentation
- Trade Calculations and Quantities
- Blueprints, Specifications and Layout
- Construction Safety
- Hand Tools, Power Tools and Equipment
- Concrete Technology
- Site Preparation
- Place and Level Concrete
- Finish Concrete
- Concrete Curing and Protection
- Cut Concrete
- Repair and Resurface
- Specialty Concrete
- Architectural Finisher
- Introduction to Epoxy Systems
Certification requirements: Successful completion of two eight-week in-school sessions, on-the-job training, a filled Skilled Trades Ontario logbook, Local 1089 Business Manager sign-off, and a 70% pass on the Provincial Examination.
The Construction Craft Worker is recognized as a Red Seal Trade in Canada. Local 1089 expects all apprentices to successfully complete their Red Seal exam in a timely manner.
The Red Seal program represents industry's recognition of an interprovincial standard of excellence for the skilled trades. Apprentices who complete training and become certified journeypersons can obtain a Red Seal endorsement on their Certificate of Qualification, signalling excellence to employers and supporting geographic labour mobility.
Red Seal exam — CCW question blocks:
- A — Occupational Skills: 23%
- B — Site Work: 19%
- C — Scaffolding and Access Equipment: 9%
- D — Concrete Work: 18%
- E — Masonry Work: 10%
- F — Utilities and Pipeline: 11%
- G — Roadwork: 10%
Red Seal exam — Cement Finisher question blocks:
- A — Occupational Skills: 14%
- B — Site Preparation: 9%
- C — Concrete Placing and Levelling: 18%
- D — Concrete Plastic Finishing: 25%
- E — Concrete Curing and Protecting: 15%
- F — Concrete Repairing, Modification and Grouting: 19%
The Local 1089 Training Centre supports all apprentices preparing for the Red Seal exam by administering a test prep week prior to writing the exam.
The Red Seal exam is based on the Red Seal Occupational Standards (RSOS) for each trade. Each RSOS consists of blocks (main subject areas), tasks within blocks, and sub-tasks within each task. Not all areas are tested on the Red Seal exam — the analysis identifies all tasks performed in the trade. Apprentices can use the RSOS information to focus their preparation.
Training in action
Apprentices on site and at the Local 1089 Training Centre.
More apprenticeship footage
Reach Sara Gawne at the Training Centre.
Sara Gawne is Local 1089's Training & Apprenticeship Coordinator. Call her at 519-332-1089 ext. 129 for application info, scheduling, and EI eligibility questions.