Skilled Trades Certification
TRADES Designation Process
We have an expanded mandate as SkilledTradesBC to ensure British Columbia has the skilled workforce to meet the demand for 83,000 more tradespeople over the next ten years. Part of this mandate includes implementing Skilled Trades Certification which will continue to build a diversified and sustainable skilled labour force through certification.
On behalf of the Government of B.C., SkilledTradesBC is introducing a process to add more trades to the list of designated mandatory trades. Applications may come from B.C. businesses, labour organizations, industry associations, Indigenous organizations and communities that work in, or have an interest in, the trades.
A maximum of ten trades are being assessed to move from the application to the detailed assessment phase. Final recommendations will be made to Government in early 2024. See the Timeline section below for more details.
The application period is closed as of June 30. If you are interested in nominating a BC-recognized trade to be designated as an STC trade in the future, please contact us at stcapplication [at] skilledtradesbc.ca.
Application Requirements
There are two main components to the application: letters of support and industry perspective.
Letters of Support | Industry Perspective |
|---|---|
Applicants must submit two letters of support:
Employers offering letters of support must employ tradespeople and/or sponsor apprentices. Applicants may also include two optional letters of support from unique constituency groups with an interest in this trade. | Applicants will be asked to answer 7 questions to help SkilledTradesBC understand their organization’s perspective on why the trade nominated in their application should be designated as a Skilled Trades Certification trade. |
Timeline
Stage | Application Period | Application Review | Detailed Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
Dates | May 11 - June 30, 2023 | July 1 - August 31, 2023 | September 1, 2023 - January 31, 2024 |
Objectives | Applications to nominate trades as Skilled Trades Certification trades open to the public | SkilledTradesBC reviews and prioritizes applications for detailed assessment. | SkilledTradesBC completes a detailed assessment of prioritized trades, including implementation considerations. Note: This will form the basis for recommendations to the SkilledTradesBC Board of Directors and Government of B.C. |
Frequently Asked Questions
The STC Trades Designation Application Forms will undergo a review which concludes on August 31, 2023. The applications that are identified to move forward then undergo a more detailed assessment which will take several months and result in a recommendation to government for consideration. Applicants will be notified if their nominated trade will progress to the detailed assessment phase in early September. It is important to note that SkilledTradesBC is using specific criteria to assess all trades nominated including identifying alignment within existing frameworks including if either a trade is: 1) currently regulated in BC, or 2) readily aligns to trades already identified as BC STC trades. SkilledTradesBC will also limit the number of trades that proceed to the detailed assessment phase to a maximum of ten (10).
This is an open process and applications may come from B.C. businesses, labour organizations, industry associations, Indigenous organizations and communities that work in, or have an interest in, the trades.
The application requires a minimum of two letters of support – one letter from a small-sized employer (1-49 employees) and one letter from a medium-sized employer (50-499 employees).
Employers must employ tradespersons and/or sponsor apprentices.
Applicants may also submit two additional letters optionally from other organizations such as Indigenous communities or training providers.
A maximum of 10 trades will be selected to move from the application phase to the detailed assessment phase. The final trades will be announced by the Government of B.C. in spring 2024.
Yes, each organization will need to complete a separate application for each trade nomination they make. If you know other organizations who are nominating a trade your organization is also interested in nominating, we encourage you to work together and consider writing a letter of support.
Near the end of the STC Trades Designation process, SkilledTradesBC will be recommending up to 10 trades to our Board and the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills for consideration.
There may be an opportunity to nominate additional trades in the future; however, no new applications will be accepted until the review and assessment phases conclude on the first round of applications and recommendations for STC designation have been submitted to government. If you are interested in nominating a BC-recognized trades for STC designation at a future date, please contact us for more information at stcapplication [at] skilledtradesbc.ca.
No, each application must nominate only one Certificate of Qualification trade.
This page provides the most up-to-date information on the full application details and submission process. You can also email STCapplication [at] skilledtradesbc.ca (STCapplication[at]skilledtradesbc[dot]ca) for support and additional questions.