You join a highly skilled and educated industry when you enter a provincial trade or occupation apprenticeship program. Your career begins the day you enter a program. You will be required to learn the required skills and competencies through formal training as well as hands-on practical training on the job in order to comply with industry standards. However you will also be earning a salary while you get hands-on learning and training from highly qualified mentors or instructors. This is real-life experience.
To maintain standards of excellence in the workforce, Canadian industries are heavily involved in setting national training and certification standards that meet the needs of current and future employers as well as provide safe, ethical services wherever they work. In Canada, industries collaborate in the inter-jurisdictional trades and apprenticeship efforts to support the development of trades and occupations and harmonization of apprenticeship training across the country. The industry calculates the industry standards and maintains high expectations for the people that enter the provincial apprenticeship and industry training system.
Where trades differ from occupations is in the formal training. In an occupation, formal training is provided by the industry. In trades, formal classroom training is provided through specified and approved providers in your province or territory.
Occupations can be designated or regulated.
Some designated or licensed professions, can be regulated by law to serve and protect the public interest, in which case certification is necessary and granted by industry. Legislation gives professional regulatory organizations the authority to ensure their members meet educational and training requirements, provide safe, ethical and competent services, and follow prescribed codes of conduct. They have complaint, investigative and disciplinary processes. Professionals in the fields of health care, architecture, accounting, veterinarians, engineers, agrologist and surveyors are examples of regulated occupations.
There are many incentives for apprentices to participate in an apprenticeship as well as for employers to hire apprentices:
The provinces and territories are responsible for apprenticeship training and trade certification in their jurisdictions. They use industry standards to design their training programs.
Trades may be classified as designated which means it has an apprenticeship program with either a compulsory or optional certification You must be a registered apprentice to work in and learn a compulsory or optional certificate trade.
A worker in an optional certification trade can work for an employer who is satisfied that person has the skills and knowledge expected of a certified journeyperson, or be self-employed.
Several industries follow the Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program to assess the skills of tradespeople they hire. Tradespersons who have successfully passed the Red Seal examination receive a Red Seal endorsement on their trade certificate which means they passed the national standard. Receiving this highly qualified designation adds prestige to the tradesperson’s credentials. Red Seal trades offer more financial incentives when compared to non-Red Seal trades.
If you plan on entering a trade you should get to know the occupational standard for that specific trade.
The Government of Canada provides financial assistance to apprentices through loans and grants and the employment insurance program, and offer tax incentives to tradespeople and employers. Financial support is also available through your province or territory. There are scholarships and grants for apprentices and pre-employment programs to pay for tuition, travel, tools and expenses.
Explore the apprentice programs offered by each province or territory and check out if you qualify for financial assistance through each provincial ministry:
Needs differ in each province or territory. This means that trade and occupations as well as apprenticeship choices in each jurisdiction also differ. Below, we provide links to the various programs offered in the Province of Alberta. The first list is trades, which are designated as being a Red Seal Program, apprenticeship program or compulsory certification trade. The second is a list of designated occupations.
You may be interested in a program offered in another province, which is provided in the next section.
Compulsory and Optional Certification Trades in Alberta
Alphabetical List of Trades
A
Agricultural Equipment Technician
Appliance Service Technician - Commercial or Domestic Appliance
Auto Body Technician – Auto Body Prepper, Refinisher, Repairer
Automotive Service Technician
B
Baker
Barber
Boilermaker
Bricklayer
C
Cabinetmaker
Carpenter
Cathodic Protection Technician
Communication Technician
Concrete Finisher
Construction
Craft Worker
Cook
Crane and Hoisting Equipment Operator - Boom Truck, Mobile Crane, Tower Crane, Wellhead Boom Truck
E
Electric Motor Systems Technician
Electrician
Elevator Constructor
Elevator Mechanic
F
Field Heat Treatment Technician
Floorcovering Installer
G
Gas Utility Operator
Gasfitter
Glazier
H
Hairstylist
Heavy Equipment Technician
Heavy Duty Equipment Mechanic (Off Road)
Heavy Equipment Technician - Transport Trailer Mechanic
Heavy Equipment Technician - Truck and Transport Mechanic
I
Industrial Construction Crew Supervisor
Industrial Mechanic (Millwright)
Instrumentation and Control Technician
Insulator (Heat and Frost)
Ironworker - Metal Building Systems Erector, Reinforcing Structural/Ornamental
L
Landscape Horticulturist
Lather (Interior Systems Mechanic)
Locksmith
M
Machinist
Mechanic
Metal Fabricator (Fitter)
Millright
Motorcycle Mechanic
N
Natural Gas Compression Technician
O
Oil and Gas Transportation Services - Bed Truck Operator
Oil and Gas Transportation Services - Bulk Haul Truck Operator
Oil and Gas Transportation Services - Multi-Wheel Truck Operator
Oil and Gas Transportation Services - Supervisor
Oil and Gas Transportation Services - Winch Tractor Operator
Outdoor Power Equipment Technician - Power Equipment
Outdoor Power Equipment Technician - Recreational Equipment
Overhead Door Technician
P
Painter and Decorator
Parts Technician – Part, Materials Technician
Pipe-fitter
Plumber
Power System Electrician
Powerline Technician
R
Recreation Vehicle Service Technician
Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic
Residential Construction Site Manager
Roofer
S
Sheet Metal Worker
Slickline Services
Snubbing Services
Sprinkler Systems Installer
Steamfitter-Pipefitter
Steel Detailer
T
Transport Refrigeration Technician
W
Water Well Driller
Welder
Welding Inspector
Welder
Wire Process Operator
Well Testing Services Supervisor
Listed here are trades not offered in Alberta but are available in British Columbia and Saskatchewan. This list is provided as part of Alberta’s commitment to the New West Partnership Agreement to support greater mobility for apprentices in Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan.
British Columbia
For additional information on participation in one of these programs not offered in AB, contact the British Columbia Industry Training Authority.
Aircraft Structural Technician
Arborist (Technician, Climbing, Field, Utility)
Ashphalt Paving / Laydown Technician
Automotive Glass Technician
Cremationist
Dairy Production Technician 1
Dairy Production Technician 2
Embalmer
Funeral Director
Hardwood Floorlayer
Heating Technician
Marine Service Technician
Meatcutter
Petroleum Equipment Installer
Piledriver and Bridgeworker
Residential Framing Technician
Saw Filer
Security Systems Technician
Shipyard Labourer
Tool and Die Maker
Saskatchewan
For additional information about participation in one of these programs not offered in AB, contact the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission.
Esthetician - Nail Technician
Food and Beverage Person
Framer
Guest Services Representative
Meatcutter
Petroleum Installer Technician
Pork Production Technician
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