Check out the questions below, or
How do I go about finding a sponsor or employer? +
Finding a job is your own responsibility, but there are helpful resources. Check the businesses/industries in the yellow pages of the phone book and on the world wide web, and utilize the want ads and other sections of the newspaper and trades publications (announcements of new projects, for example) to locate potential employers. You may want to contact trade unions and industry associations (see Links on this site for some suggestions), and your local Human Resource Centre, or get in touch with other career resource centres in your area (check the yellow pages under "career and vocational counseling"). Another very useful approach is to "network", by making contact with employers and people working in the trade you wish to apprentice in.
How do I find out the requirements for completing my apprenticeship? +
On the trade profile page you will find a link to the complete profile in PDF format from the ITA. This document describes the requirements for completion of your training, including program duration and structure; pre-requisites; assessment methods; the number of required work-based (on-the-job) training hours; the required number of technical training (in-school) sessions and the content of technical training levels.
How do I register for technical training? +
Apprentices are responsible for informing themselves regarding the technical training they are required to complete as part of their apprenticeship, and for locating and registering with an institution that can provide it. Each trade profile page has a list of schools designated by the ITA to offer technical training courses. Information is also available at www.educationplanner.bc.ca.
Who reports and tracks my work-based (on-the-job) training hours? +
Your employer is responsible for regularly reporting your work-based training hours to the ITA. The ITA tracks your hours, and sends periodic training progress reports (which include completed work-based hours and completed technical training levels) to you and your sponsor. Apprentices should keep track of their own hours, and discuss any discrepancies in reported hours with their employers.
How much will I be paid as an apprentice? +
An apprentice is considered an "employee", and the amount you will be paid varies from trade to trade, and sometimes from employer to employer. Some industry training programs follow a salary scale which provides for scheduled wage increases as an apprentice progresses through the training program.
Once I have completed my training program, how do I become certified? +
Once you have completed all work-based and technical training requirements and pass the relevant certification exam with a mark of 70 per cent or higher, the ITA will send your sponsor a Request to Recommend for Certification. By completing this form, your sponsor is attesting that it is the judgement of a certified tradesperson or equivalent that you are now working at the skill level of a certified tradesperson.
Are there fees for examinations? +
There is no fee charged for first-time administration of a level exam, C of Q exam, or Red Seal (IP) exam. There are, however, fees associated with repeated re-scheduling of exams, no shows and the assessments required for some challenge exams. There is also a fee for a first and subsequent re-write(s) of level, C of Q, or IP examinations, except where the candidate achieved a mark of 60 per cent or greater, in which case the fee is waived for the first re-write only.
I don't feel ready to begin an apprenticeship, but I am interested in doing so in the near future. Is there an alternative introduction to a career in the trades? +
If you are interested in a career in trades, but don't yet feel ready to begin an apprenticeship, as an alternative to registering as an apprentice, you may want to get started by enrolling in a Foundation Program.
