Its a long hard road but that is ultimately what I did. I might have been able to stick with one employer and have them apprentice me but it would have required me to work away from home. Instead I bounced around from in-town job to job with a variety of different employers until I had all of my hours and schooling done. A local Carpenter's Union (CMAW 1998) sponsored me throughout my apprenticeship while mostly non-union supervisors/employers signed off on my hours.
What really helped to kick start my employment was a government program that may or may not still exist. I think it was called Targeted Wage Subsidies or maybe that was just its function. I was unemployed and my EI coverage had run out which were both required to qualify for the program. What it did was reimburse an employer for half of my wages up to a certain point who would employ me in the trade/occupation that I was seeking to enter. So a home builder took me on for about 6 months (the life of the program) paid me $17/hr while the gov reimbursed him for half. I got the experience that I needed to get hired on by the next guy and he got dirt cheep labour for the summer. Win win. Try talking to your local employment assistance offices, they may be able to refer you to the same or similar program.
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