Become an apprentice in Canada
How apprenticeship works, how to land your first apprentice job, the money help you can apply for, and who to contact in your province or territory. Every fact links to an official source.
Updated: Oct 2026. Rules change, so always confirm with your apprenticeship authority.
How apprenticeship works
An apprenticeship is a paid job plus school. You learn the trade by working with a certified journeyperson, and you go to school for short blocks of technical training. When you finish, you write a certification exam. Canada.ca says it takes 2 to 5 years depending on the trade.
1. A sponsor (usually your employer)
To start in most provinces and territories, you need an employer, sometimes called a sponsor, who will train you on the job. You and your employer sign a training agreement and register it with your provincial or territorial apprenticeship authority. Quebec is different for many trades: Canada.ca says you first attend classroom training at a CEGEP, college or training institution, then do on-the-job training.
2. Registration with your province or territory
Apprenticeship is run by each province and territory, and each has its own rules, forms and fees. For example, Alberta charges a $150 application fee. In Nunavut you must be at least 16 and pass a Trades Entrance Exam. Find your authority below.
3. On-the-job hours plus in-school levels
Most of your apprenticeship is paid work. Ontario says 85 to 90% of an apprenticeship is paid on-the-job training. New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island describe it as about 80% on the job and 20% in school. Your training is split into levels, also called periods. You move up a level after logging enough hours, finishing that level's technical training and, in many trades, passing a level exam. Your pay usually goes up as you progress.
4. Certificate of Qualification and the Red Seal
When you finish all your hours, levels and sign-offs, you write the certification exam. If you pass, your province or territory issues your Certificate of Qualification (C of Q), which people often call your “ticket”. In Red Seal trades, the exam is the interprovincial Red Seal exam, and passing it adds a Red Seal endorsement to your certificate. The Red Seal is a common standard that's recognised across Canada. Your provincial or territorial certificate is what certifies you to work in the trade; the endorsement doesn't do that on its own.
5. Compulsory vs voluntary trades
Some trades are compulsory (also called mandatory or restricted): to do the work, you must be a registered apprentice or a certified journeyperson. Other trades are voluntary: certification is recommended and widely respected, but registering is optional. The lists differ between provinces and territories. New Brunswick, for example, has 44 apprenticeship occupations, and 12 of them are compulsory. B.C. publishes its own list of compulsory trades (SkilledTradesBC (opens in a new tab)). A trade that's compulsory in one province may be voluntary in another, so check your authority's trade list.
Money help
These federal supports were checked on Canada.ca in October 2026. Amounts and dates can change, so read the official page before you apply.
Canada Apprentice Loan
Interest-free loans of up to $4,000 per period of technical training in a Red Seal trade. You don't pay interest or make payments until you finish or leave your training. It isn't available in Quebec, which has its own support.
EI while you're in school
If you're referred to full-time technical training, you may get EI regular benefits. You need the 16-digit reference code from your province, territory or school, and you get a new one for each training block. You can apply online up to seven days before your last day of work. The one-week waiting period applies only once per apprenticeship program.
Red Seal Completion Bonus
$5,000 per Red Seal certification obtained on or after April 1, 2025, up to $50,000. Applications open November 16, 2026. You get it for each eligible Red Seal trade you complete; check the page for who can apply.
Tradesperson's tools deduction
If you're an employed tradesperson, you may be able to deduct part of what you spend on eligible new tools. Your employer certifies this on form T2200. For 2025, the deduction is the lesser of $1,000 or your eligible tool costs minus $1,471.
CRA guide T4044, Employment Expenses 2025 (opens in a new tab)
Grants that have ended: the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant and the Apprenticeship Completion Grant closed on March 31, 2025 (Canada.ca grants page (opens in a new tab)). For the full federal list, see Funding opportunities for apprentices (opens in a new tab).
Provincial and territorial help: provinces and territories have their own grants, scholarships, wage subsidies and tool programs. Alberta, for example, points apprentices to more than 900 scholarships plus grants and loans, and Nunavut has a wage subsidy for small employers who train apprentices. Ask your apprenticeship authority what's available where you live.
Apprenticeship authorities by province and territory
Register, book your technical training and write your exams through your own province or territory. The links below go to each official site. The Red Seal Program also keeps a contact list of every authority (opens in a new tab).
Women, Indigenous and newcomer programs
Women in the trades
- Women in the Skilled Trades Initiative (opens in a new tab): a Government of Canada announcement under the Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy (opens in a new tab).
- Manitoba Hydro: women's power line technician pre-placement program (opens in a new tab).
- Aecon Women in Trades (opens in a new tab).
Indigenous learners
- Indigenous Skills and Employment Training (ISET) Program (opens in a new tab): federal funding delivered through Indigenous organisations that offer skills training and job supports.
- Manitoba Hydro: Indigenous power line technician pre-placement (opens in a new tab).
- Agnico Eagle Nunavut training programs (opens in a new tab), including an apprenticeship program for Inuit employees.
Newcomers and internationally trained workers
- Foreign Credential Recognition Program (opens in a new tab) (Government of Canada).
- SkilledTradesBC: newcomers and international tradespersons (opens in a new tab).
- Already trained in a trade? Most authorities offer a way for experienced workers to challenge the certification exam. Ask yours about “trade qualifier” or equivalency options.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an employer before I can become an apprentice?
In most of Canada, yes. Canada.ca's steps are: find a trade, find an employer who will give you on-the-job training, then register your training agreement with your provincial or territorial apprenticeship authority. Quebec works differently: Canada.ca says you first attend classroom training at a CEGEP, college or training institution.
How long does an apprenticeship take?
Canada.ca says apprenticeships take 2 to 5 years depending on the trade. Most of that time is paid work on the job. In Ontario, 85 to 90% of an apprenticeship is paid on-the-job training.
What is the difference between a Certificate of Qualification and a Red Seal?
Your province or territory issues the Certificate of Qualification (your ‘ticket’) when you finish your apprenticeship and pass the exam. In Red Seal trades, passing the interprovincial Red Seal exam adds a Red Seal endorsement to that certificate. The Red Seal Program says the endorsement does not itself certify you to work in a trade. Your provincial or territorial certificate does that.
What does ‘compulsory trade’ mean?
In a compulsory (mandatory) certification trade, you must be a registered apprentice or a certified journeyperson to do the work. In a voluntary trade, registering is optional. Each province and territory sets its own list, so check with your apprenticeship authority.
Can I get EI while I'm in school for my apprenticeship?
If you are referred to full-time technical training, you may be able to get EI regular benefits. You'll need the reference code your province, territory or training institution gives you for each training block. See the EI for apprentices page on Canada.ca for details.
Are the federal apprenticeship grants still available?
The Apprenticeship Incentive Grant and the Apprenticeship Completion Grant closed on March 31, 2025. The Canada Apprentice Loan is still available, and the new Red Seal Completion Bonus opens for applications on November 16, 2026.
Get ready for your exams early
Try our free 15-question practice samples for Construction Electrician, Plumber, Carpenter and Welder — with explanations, no sign-up.
Sources
All checked in October 2026.
- Canada.ca — How to become an apprentice (opens in a new tab)
- Canada.ca — Canada Apprentice Loan (opens in a new tab)
- Canada.ca — EI for apprentices (opens in a new tab)
- Canada.ca — Grants for apprentices (closed March 31, 2025) (opens in a new tab)
- Canada.ca — Red Seal Completion Bonus (opens in a new tab)
- Canada.ca — Funding opportunities for apprentices (opens in a new tab)
- Canada Revenue Agency — Employment Expenses 2025 (T4044), tradesperson's tools (opens in a new tab)
- Red Seal Program — About the program (opens in a new tab)
- Red Seal Program — Provincial and territorial authorities (opens in a new tab)
- SkilledTradesBC — Skilled Trades Certification (compulsory trades) (opens in a new tab)
- Ontario.ca — Skilled trades (opens in a new tab)
- Alberta.ca — Become an apprentice in Alberta (opens in a new tab)
- Government of New Brunswick — Apprenticeship and occupational certification (opens in a new tab)
- Newfoundland and Labrador — Apprenticeship and Trades Certification Division (opens in a new tab)
- Prince Edward Island — Apprenticeship Program (opens in a new tab)
- Government of Nunavut — Apprenticeship, Trade and Occupations Certification (opens in a new tab)
- Canada.ca — Women in the Skilled Trades Initiative (opens in a new tab)
- Canada.ca — ISET Program (opens in a new tab)
- Canada.ca — Foreign Credential Recognition Program (opens in a new tab)
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