Information for New and Existing Employer Sponsors
Are you an employer who is thinking about apprenticeship but need more information? Or a new employer sponsor wanting guidance on how to start and carry out your apprenticeship program? Or are you an experienced sponsor looking for tools to support your work-based training program?
This section provides information for employers on all aspects of B.C.'s apprenticeship training system and provides links to forms, documents and other supports that are important for a successful apprenticeship program.
Apprenticeship is a process for individuals to learn and become certified in a trade. It combines work-based training (about 80% of training) with technical training in a classroom or shop setting (about 20% of training). Apprenticeship provides an opportunity for individuals to develop a rewarding career path and an opportunity for employers to develop a skilled workforce that meets their needs.
On-the-job training is on-site at an employer's premises, and classroom training is provided by an approved training provider. Successful completion of both components, along with examinations, is required for an apprentice to earn a certificate or ticket and become a certified tradesperson.
The length of an apprenticeship can range from one to five years, but most require four years (or levels) to complete. Typically, an apprentice takes six weeks of classroom training per level.
Many of B.C.'s apprenticeable trades have an Interprovincial Red Seal designation. This designation facilitates mobility, allowing holders to work - without having to write further examinations - anywhere in Canada where the trade is designated.
How Does It Work?
Here is a brief overview of how the apprenticeship process works. More details can be found here. (link to What's Involved in Sponsoring an Apprentice?)
Registration
An apprenticeship begins with a commitment by an employer to hire and train an individual to industry standards in an approved trade, and a commitment by an individual to learn on the job and to take required technical training. Together, the employer and apprentice complete and submit an Apprentice and Sponsor Registration Form to the Industry Training Authority (ITA). This signed agreement, which formally registers the apprentice in the trade in which he or she will be trained, provides ITA with the information needed to set up the apprenticeship in our computerized system.
Work-Based Training
The employer assigns a skilled, qualified journeypersons to provide the apprentice with structured, supervised and hands-on training in the competencies of the trade. The employer pays the apprentice an hourly wage as a portion of the trained rate of pay for the trade. The wage increases with each level of the program successfully completed. The journeyperson signs off on the trade competencies as the apprentice achieves them. The employer keeps track of the apprentice's work hours and submits them regularly to ITA, where the apprentice's transcript is updated. Hours can be submitted electronically via ITA Direct Access.
Technical (Classroom) Training
The apprentice is responsible for locating and enrolling in technical (classroom) training required for each level of the trade and for the technical training costs, which may include travel and accommodation. Often, the employer will cover some or all of the cost of training. A one-stop list of ITA-approved training providers and course offerings is available here. The employer must make it possible for the apprentice to take the training, This may mean releasing the apprentice from work for the classroom training.
Certification
Upon completion of the work-based and technical training, and a passing grade or better for the apprentice on the relevant certification exam, ITA sends the employer a Recommendation for Certification Form. The employer decides whether or not to recommend the apprentice for certification, based on the certified tradesperson's judgment that the apprentice is now working at the skill level of a certified tradesperson.
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