Employers
Why Skilled Trades Certification is good for your business
Skilled Trades Certification formally recognizes the skills of tradespeople. This boosts the credibility and prestige of the trades, helping provide a strong labour force to support your business.
By requiring tradespeople to become a certified journeyperson or a registered apprentice, Skilled Trades Certification helps ensure you have a highly skilled workforce. It can help promote your business as an employer of choice and attract top talent by showing your support for certification and learning.
What you need to know
Working in Skilled Trades Certification trades
If your employees carry out work described in the scope of work of Skilled Trades Certification trades, then they must be one of the following:
A registered apprentice
A certified journeyperson
A Trade Qualifier or Uncertified Experienced Worker with a Temporary Authorization issued by SkilledTradesBC
We encourage you to maintain records of your employees’ qualifications and provide information about your workforce through the Employer Workforce Submission on the SkilledTradesBC Portal.
Supervision Ratio
The supervision ratio of apprentices to journeypersons for electrical and mechanical Skilled Trades Certification trades is 2:1 (a maximum of two apprentices to every journeyperson).
This ratio helps ensure that apprentices get the right level of training and experience they need to become qualified workers, who in turn can support your business and the needs of British Columbians.
The following are NOT included for the purpose of calculating a supervision ratio of persons employed in Skilled Trades Certification trades:
a Level 4 apprentice in Skilled Trades Certification Trades
a Trade Qualifier who has a valid Temporary Authorization issued by SkilledTradesBC
a person who is participating in an industry training program that includes a work experience component, such as youth trade programs and trade foundation programs
The following may be included as a journeyperson for the purpose of calculating a supervision ratio:
an employer who is a journeyperson
an Uncertified Experienced Worker who has a valid Temporary Authorization issued by SkilledTradesBC
If you are unsure if you will be able to meet the 2:1 apprentice to journeyperson supervision ratio, you can register or log in to our Portal to provide us with your workforce information through the Employer Workforce Submission. Once you submit the information, our Certification Advisor team will reach out and provide the support you need in meeting the requirements.
Employer Workforce Submission
SkilledTradesBC has introduced a new Employer Workforce Submission for all employers of workers in Skilled Trades Certification trades. We are asking all affected employers to provide information about their workforce through our customer portal. The information gathered will be used to identify workers and employers in Skilled Trades Certification trades, help us understand more about their existing workforce and provide assistance to those who may need our support in meeting the new requirements.
Registered sponsors with Portal access will receive a pop-up notification asking them to complete this information upon login. New employers who are signing up for the Portal for the first time will be asked to complete this information as part of the registration process.
Depending on the number of workers you have, it should take you about a few minutes to complete the form if you have all the following information ready. You may save your progress and return to the form at a later time. As a security measure, the Portal account will automatically log out after 60 minutes of inactivity.
Please ensure you gather the following information, where applicable, before you start your Employer Workforce Submission:
Apprentices’ full names, SkilledTradesBC IDs, Trade
Journeypersons’ full names, email addresses, Certificate Number, province they were certified in, Trade (remember to include yourself, if appropriate)
Trade Qualifiers and Uncertified Experienced Workers’ Full names, SkilledTradesBC IDs, Temporary Authorization numbers, Trade
Sponsor names, email addresses, and phone numbers
For employers who aren’t yet meeting the Skilled Trades Certification requirements or employ unregistered workers, our Certification Advisor team will reach out to help get these workers registered and work with employers to meet the requirements over time.
Skilled Trades Certification Requirements Checklist for Employers
Make sure all employees who carry out work described in the scope of work of Skilled Trades Certification trades are one of the following:
A registered apprentice
A certified journeyperson
A Trade Qualifier or Uncertified Experienced Worker with a Temporary Authorization issued by SkilledTradesBC
Maintain their records of qualifications to work. This includes Apprentice Agreements, student IDs for a valid training program, Trade Qualifier or Uncertified Experienced Worker application acknowledgement, Certificates of Qualifications and Temporary Authorizations issued or recognized by SkilledTradesBC.
Sign up or log into the SkilledTradesBC Portal and complete the Employer Workforce Submission.
Meet the 2:1 apprentice to journeyperson supervision ratio.
Support your uncertified workers to work towards certification. Become an employer sponsor to your uncertified workers as they register as apprentices.
New
Supports
In addition to the provincial and federal supports available to registered employers and apprentices, we have also enhanced our supports to customers in the Skilled Trades Certification trades.
We're here
to help
Contact your local Advisor to get the support you need in meeting the requirements.