About Us
Background
The College of Carpenters and Allied Trades Inc. (CCAT) is a jointly trusted union-employer construction skills school that was established to serve the recruitment and educational needs of Carpenters Local 27 members and their employers.
Since its inception in 1986, CCAT has offered an extensive variety of carpentry trades-related pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship, health and safety, and continuing education courses to thousands of students.
Facilities
CCAT's two state-of-the-art facilities in Woodbridge total approximately 113,000 square feet of "hands-on" shop and classroom areas that have been customized in accordance with the theoretical and practical requirements of the educational programs.
In addition to its fully site-simulated carpentry shops, CCAT is equipped with 13 electronic classrooms; 2 computer laboratories; a wood working machine shop, a welding shop, a floor covering installer shop and an ICRA Best Practices in Healthcare Construction laboratory.
Training Programs
Pre-apprenticeship
CCAT offers a pre-apprenticeship program in Formwork Carpentry designed to equip new entrants into General Carpentry Apprenticeship with market ready employment skills upon completion of the seven-week course.
Apprenticeship
General Carpenter Apprenticeship
CCAT is the largest Training Delivery Agency of General Carpentry Apprenticeship - on behalf of the Ontario Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development (MAESD) - in the province of Ontario, with well over 2,000 Carpentry Apprentices signed to it's Local Apprenticeship Committee and providing all three levels of in-school training (Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced) to over 450 carpenter apprentices a year.
Floor Covering Installer Apprenticeship
CCAT is also the largest Training Delivery Agency on behalf of MAESD for Floor Covering Apprenticeship in the province, offering both levels of in-school training (Basic and Advanced) to Floor Covering Apprentices province-wide.
Health & Safety and Continuing Education Courses
Between 4,500 and 5,000 Union Members per year take advantage of the below listed health & safety and continuing education courses at CCAT. These courses are offered free charge to members in good standing of Carpenters' Local Union 27 and take place on an evening and weekend basis.
- Basics of Supervision
- Basic Occupational Health & Safety Awareness
- Building Envelope
- Certificate of Qualification Exam Preparation (Carpentry)
- Certificate of Qualification Exam Preparation (Floor Covering)
- Chainsaw Safety
- Computer Basic
- Computer Advanced
- Concrete Formwork (7 Weeks, full-time)
- Confined Spaces
- Construction Math
- Door & Hardware Basic
- Door & Hardware Mechanical
- Door & Hardware Electrified
- Estimating
- Exterior Cladding - Residential
- First Aid / CPR
- Forklift – Slab
- Forklift – Slab refresher
- Forklift – All-terrain
- Forklift – All-terrain refresher
- ICRA Best Practices in Health Care Construction
- Interior Trim 1
- Interior Trim 2
- Layout
- Low-rise Trim
- Mass Timber
- Metal Roofing - Residential
- Power Elevated Work Platforms (scissor lift and articulating boom)
- Print Reading
- Scaffolding Health & Safety Training Program
- Scaffolding Health & Safety Training Program Refresher
- Sketch Pro – Building Information Modelling (BIM)
- Solid Surfaces
- Stair Building 1
- Stair Building 2
- Suspended Access Equipment
- Swing Stage
- Total Station
- Welding (to Candian Welding Bureau certification)
- WHMIS/GHS
- WHMIS/GHS Refresher
- Working at Heights
- Working at Heights Refresher
Partnerships and Initiatives
CAAT has established numerous highly effective training partnerships with boards of education, training institutions, other trade unions, employers and community organizations including:
Boards of Education (Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Programs)
- Toronto District School Board
- Toronto Catholic District School Board
- York District School Board
- York Catholic District School Board
- Durham District School Board
- Durham Catholic District School Board
- Peel District School Board
- Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board
Employers
General Contractors’ Section Toronto
Resilient Flooring Association of Ontario
Concrete Forming Association of Ontario
Trim Association of Ontario
Daniels Corporation
Community Organizations
- Native Child and Family Services of Toronto
- Miziwe Biik Aboriginal Employment & Training
- Eva’s Place Initiatives
- San Romano Way Revitalization Association
- YMCA of Greater Toronto
- Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC)
- Toronto Inner City Rugby Foundation
- Toronto Employment and Social Service
- Dixon Hall
Partnerships with the above listed community organizations have been aimed at assisting disenfranchised youth in the Greater Toronto Area to develop the life skills and trade skills necessary for them to secure employment within the construction sector and to enhance the quality of their lives.
For example, through the partnership with Eva's Place initiatives, 49 formerly homeless young people were given the opportunity to undergo a comprehensive 15 week pre-apprenticeship construction training program during which the participants converted and old fire-truck repair garage into an impressive shelter for homeless youth.
The goal of the CHOICE Youth-at-risk Pre-apprenticeship Program - offered in partnership with TCHC, MAESD and the YMCA - is to stimulate economic development in low-income communities while providing youth from within those communities with rewarding long-term career opportunities in construction. The CHOICE program boasts an overall success rate of 89% with a total of 169 youth having participated to day and 151 having graduated.