Apprenticeship in Alberta: A Model of Excellence

"OK, I'm interested. What next?"

Step One: Choose a trade
Check the list of trades and narrow your choices. Get as much information as you can about your choices from school counsellors, from www.tradesecrets.org, from your local library, or your nearest Alberta apprenticeship and industry training office. Next, talk to people working in the trades that interest you. Speak to their employers - maybe they'll let you 'job-shadow' to see what the day-to-day work is like. Ask lots of questions!

Step Two: Find an employer
Thousands of employers hire and train apprentices. But there's no getting around the fact that finding an employer to train you is the hardest part of the process. You must be employed to be an apprentice. Many employers already know the apprenticeship training process. But take a copy of the brochure 'Training apprentices' to your interview in case you find one who doesn't. That brochure explains apprenticeship for employers. It's available from Alberta apprenticeship and industry training offices, or can be printed from www.tradesecrets.org.

Step Three: Apply
Once you have an employer, contact any of apprenticeship and industry training offices or visit the "Forms" section of www.tradesecrets.org for an apprenticeship application. You and your employer complete it, and you return the application to the apprenticeship and industry training office.

Step Four: Sign an apprenticeship contract
The apprenticeship contract is an agreement between you and your employer. It outlines who's responsible for what during your apprenticeship. You promise to complete both your technical and on-the-job training. Your employer promises to pay you a certain percentage of the journeyman wage rate, increasing your pay as you progress through training. The employer agrees to train you on the job, and to allow you to attend technical training. Technical training can involve 4-to-12 week classroom sessions, or, in some trades, various methods of distance learning, weekly apprenticeship training (you attend classes one day a week), or on-the-job-site training. You'll get information about how to arrange for your technical training. Year-by-year: Do it!
To move from one year of apprenticeship to the next, and to receive your wage increases, each year you need to:

• have the required number of months and hours of on-the-job training
• successfully complete technical training
• pass the technical training and industry exams
• make sure your record book is updated by your employer, and
• send your record book to the nearest Alberta apprenticeship and industry training office for a Certificate of Progress stamp

How much does apprenticeship training cost?
There is a tuition fee for each week of technical training required for your trade. Check Quick Facts at www.tradesecrets.org for the current fees. Additional costs involve textbooks and other classroom materials. Apprentices who must travel to receive technical training are responsible for travel, accommodation and meal costs. Based on need, student grants or loans may be available to apprentices while attending technical training. Most apprentices graduate to certified journeymen completely free of student debt! Most apprentices are eligible for employment insurance (EI) while attending technical training. For details, check with your nearest Alberta apprenticeship and industry training office.