Apprenticeship is an industry-based program involving an agreement between a person who wants to learn a set of occupational skills, an apprentice, and an employer who needs a skilled worker. Apprenticeship is a proven training system that combines on-the-job experiential learning with technical training to produce a qualified and certified journeyperson. Upon completion of the specified training period, the required number of hours work experience, and successfully passing a summative examination, apprentices receive a Certificate of Qualification. On average, approximately 80% of the apprenticeship term is spent in the workplace with the remainder enrolled at a training institution. Apprenticeship begins when an individual signs a Memorandum of Understanding with an employer, and continues until such time as the apprentice has completed all of the required technical training and has received the required industry experiences necessary to attempt the relevant Interprovincial or Provincial certification examination.
An apprentice is someone learning their trade on the job, under the supervision and direction of a certified journeyperson, with periods of technical training at a post-secondary institution, or someone working full time in an apprenticeable trade and registered as an apprentice with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.
First, you must find a supporting employer who is prepared to hire you as an apprentice and then register as an apprentice with the Industrial Training section of the Department of Education.
Please visit our section on 'Designated Trades' to find out what apprenticeable trades are offered in Newfoundland and Labrador.
A journeyperson is someone who has met the requirements for writing the relevant interprovincial or provincial certification examination, has successfully passed the certification examination and has received a Certificate of Qualification for his/her trade.
Post-journeyperson training is enhanced skills training provided outside of the Provincial Plan of Apprenticeship Training for persons who hold journeyperson certification. An individual is eligible for post-journeyperson training if he or she is a qualified journeyperson and has or is currently working in a designated trade. To apply for post-journeyperson training, an individual must contact training institutions for course availability and delivery dates or alternatively, be referred by training institutions, employers, or trade unions.
Apprenticeship training is a combination of on-the-job, and technical training. Each designated trade has a specific number of hours which must be completed in order to qualify for a Certificate of Qualification. The number of hours required in each designated trade is determined by industry and is incorporated into the Plan of Training for the trade. Apprenticeships can range from one to five years, depending on the trade, with the average apprenticeship lasting approximately four years.
As an apprentice, you receive on-the-job training that offers an opportunity to earn a living while learning valuable skills that can lead to a rewarding and challenging career.
If you are interested in apprenticeship, it is important to look at all the possible trades you could learn. Review the pre-requisites for the trades that interest you and determine if your skills, interests and education match. Speak to employers and people working in specific trade areas that interest you to get first-hand information from the people who know the trade best. Additionally, discuss your choice with your family and/or high school or career counsellor and contact the nearest Industrial Training office for further information.
Under the terms of the Canadian Constitution, each province and territory has the responsibility for apprenticeship training. Appropriate legislation permits each jurisdiction to designate occupations for apprenticeship. In Newfoundland and Labrador, there are 56 designated occupations. They are governed by provincial legislation under the Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification Act.
To become certified as a journeyperson in a designated occupation where training is not available in Newfoundland and Labrador, an individual must first obtain an established number of hours of industry experience in that occupation.
Upon completion of the established number of hours, individuals are required to complete work skill forms documenting their work experience and hours and submit these to the nearest Industrial Training office for verification and approval. If approved, the individual will be given the opportunity to challenge a certification examination for the designated occupation.
No. An individual can only be registered in one designated trade at any one time. In order to become registered in a second designated trade, an individual may cancel their current registration and request registration into another designated trade of their choice. Alternatively, an individual may complete one apprenticeship, become certified as a journeyperson, and then register as an apprentice in another designated trade.
Yes. If an individual is employed in a designated occupation for which no advanced-level training is available in Newfoundland and Labrador, and that individual has been identified by the Department of Education as being eligible for such training, there are options available to individuals for training in other provinces and territories.
It should be noted however, that these situations are assessed by the Department of Education on an individual basis in conjunction with other agencies/organizations, where applicable. Please contact the nearest Industrial Training office for further information.
No. If you are working in another province or territory, it is recommended that you register in that jurisdiction as an apprentice under their respective apprenticeship system.
If an individual was registered as an apprentice in Newfoundland and Labrador prior to obtaining short-term employment in another province or territory, work experience can be recognized by the Department of Education and credited toward his or her apprenticeship upon submission of supporting documentation.
It should be noted that these situations are assessed by the Department of Education on an individual basis. Please contact the nearest Industrial Training office for further information.
Course requirements for an apprenticeship program of study are specified in the plans of training for each designated occupation, as developed and approved by the PACB. These course requirements include both technical courses and related courses.
Entry into an occupation as a registered apprentice requires indenturing into the occupation by an employer, who agrees to provide the appropriate training and work experiences as outlined in this plan of training.
Notwithstanding the above, each candidate must have successfully completed a high school program or equivalent and in addition may be required to have completed certain academic subjects as specified in particular plans of training. Mature students, at the discretion of the director of Institutional and Industrial Education, may be registered. A mature student is defined as one who has reached the age of 19 and who can demonstrate the ability and the interest to complete the requirements for certification.
At the discretion of the director of Institutional and Industrial Education, credit towards the apprenticeship program may be awarded to an apprentice for previous work experience and/or training as validated through prior learning assessment.
Newfoundland and Labrador presently does not offer technical apprenticeship training courses via online or distance education, although some training institutions may offer some non-technical courses via these delivery methods.
For example, more information on web-based offerings for the Related Trades Courses is available through the Distributed Learning Service, College of the North Atlantic (http://dls.cna.nl.ca/).
While you’re still in high school, take courses related to the trade you are interested in, complete your Grade 12 education or equivalent, research the trade of your choice and talk with potential employers, and take an entry-level training program from a post-secondary institution.
The rate of pay for an apprentice is based on a percentage of the wage rate for a certified journeyperson under the employer’s operation. For a first-year apprentice, this wage rate is generally 60% of the journeyperson’s wage rate, and increases as the apprentice progresses through the apprenticeship period until certification is achieved.
For a journeyperson, wage rates vary depending on the type of occupation, place of employment and number of years experience, and can range on average anywhere from $30,000 to $70,000 annually. Please refer to the Designated Trades page for further labour market information, including wage rates, for individual designated occupations.
The apprenticeship program is administered under the authority of the Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification Act by the Institutional and Industrial Education Division of the Department of Education. The Provincial Apprenticeship and Certification Board is the responsible authority for the development of appropriate legislation and policy which establishes standards, regulations, operational methodologies, and protocol. Because the mandate of the board is very broad and one which covers a wide and diverse number of occupations, it looks for advice and guidance from groups associated with each occupation that have an intimate knowledge of most matters pertaining to that occupation. These groups are known as provincial advisory committees.
Because legislation permits each province and territory to designate apprenticeship programs for their own requirements, there are in excess of 150 apprenticeship programs available across Canada. Human Resources Development Canada, in collaboration and consultation with the provinces and territories, produces an Ellis Chart which is a comparative chart of these apprenticeship training programs across Canada.
The Red Seal program was established to provide skilled workers with greater mobility across Canada. Through the program certified journeypersons are able to obtain a Red Seal endorsement on their Certificate of Qualification by successfully completing, where applicable, an interprovincial standards examination. The program encourages standardization of provincial and territorial apprenticeship training and certification programs. The Red Seal allows qualified persons to practice their respective occupation in any province or territory in Canada where it is designated, without having to attempt further examinations. To date, there are forty-five occupations included in the Interprovincial Red Seal Program.
The program is administered in each province and territory under the guidance of the Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship (CCDA). The director of Institutional and Industrial Education is the Newfoundland and Labrador representative on this council.
A National Occupational Analysis, developed for each Red Seal trade, is used as a base document for the development of interprovincial standard examinations. It is also used by the province for curriculum development.
As of October, 2004 there were 45 designated Red Seal occupations. Newfoundland provides training in 37 of these occupations. For these 37 occupations, apprentices attempt an interprovincial examination and, if successful, receive a distinctive Red Seal which is affixed to their Certificate of Qualification. The interprovincial examination is developed by a group of trade experts from all jurisdictions where an occupation is designated.
A Plan of Apprenticeship Training details the full scope of learning for a particular occupation. It recognizes that apprenticeship training begins when an individual signs a Memorandum of Understanding with an employer, and continues until such time as the apprentice has completed all of the required technical training and has received the required industry experiences necessary to write an certification examination. Passing this examination will result in the apprentice receiving a Certificate of Qualification and, if applicable, Red Seal endorsement which gives the tradesperson national mobility of trade qualifications. This plan also recognizes the need to provide flexible access to training based on the needs of the employer and the apprentice while at the same time recognizing the end goal is to complete the requirements for certification.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Apprenticeship is a written agreement entered into between a person and employer under which the person endeavours to become proficient in an occupation based on a mix of in-school and on-the-job training as outlined in the plan of apprenticeship training. The obligations of the employer or training institution are also established.
A record of occupational progress is a permanent record of the apprentice's progress throughout the apprenticeship term. It lists the work experiences and skills that have been identified by the respective provincial advisory committee in that particular occupation as those required for the occupation and the required courses. The signatures of specific trade certified work supervisors verify competencies achieved on-the-job while transcripts from recognized training institutions verify courses completed.
Apprenticeship training in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador is undergoing considerable change. This change is prompted by the need to keep pace with technological changes in industry, the need to be competitive, and the desire to be efficient and effective in meeting the needs of the apprentice.
There are various models for delivery of apprenticeship training in Newfoundland and Labrador. Some programs are delivered using the traditional model which involves an individual spending their first year of training in-school, followed by practical time of approximately 1800 hours on-the-job supplemented by a 6 to 8-week in-school period each year of the apprenticeship term which, for the majority of occupations, is four years. Other models of delivery designed to provide quality, accessibility and transferability include Internship model.
The primary objective of accreditation is to identify to the prospective students, counselors, parents, employers and the public, those educational programs that meet the PACB’s minimum standards to produce graduates who can function at the required level of competence. Program accreditation also:
The division of Institutional and Industrial Education is presently involved in an Atlantic Canada initiative which will see the development of a core curriculum for a number of apprenticeship occupations. Using the National Occupational Analysis, the Atlantic Provinces have agreed to cooperate on the development of a common plan of training based on the relevant occupational analysis. This will help to ensure a standard of training for all required competencies which will enhance labour market mobility for graduates. Presently, common core curriculum standards are being developed for twenty two trades. Other initiatives underway include the development of a common core logbook to chart the apprentice’s progress from entry level to journeyperson certification.
The apprenticeship process involves a number of parties playing significant roles in the training and certification of apprentices. The following stipulates these respective roles and responsibilities:
Apprentices:
Employers:
Training Institutions:
Industrial Training Division:
Provincial Apprenticeship and Certification Board:
A trade qualifier is a person who has been employed in a designated occupation for a length of time not less than one year in excess of the apprenticeship term as specified in the Conditions Governing Apprenticeship Training for that occupation and subsequently wishes to become certified. Through assessment of their prior learning and verification of their work experience, the Division of Institutional and Industrial Education determines their readiness to write the certification examination and if necessary, prescribes in-school training. Journeyperson certification is not granted without writing the Provincial or Interprovincial examination.