Red Seal Trades Certification; what does it mean? Obtaining a Red Seal Endorsement is a process in which trade apprentices take the provincial Red Seal exam in order to become certified journeyman. What is a journeyman? For review, a journeyman is described as a person who has completed an apprenticeship program and all its requirements in that specific trade (plumber, welder, electrician, carpenter, etc.) Not all trades have certified apprenticeships, however, and do not acquire the journeyman title.

The Red Seal endorsement is known nationally in Canada and each test varies from province to province. There is an exam for each listed trade (examine our Trades section for more information). The exams are based on the NOA (National Occupational Analysis). This is a key document that will outline everything about your trade and will include safety information, tasks, names of tools and equipment and technical terms.

An apprentice is an individual who works alongside a more qualified person (usually called a journeyman, or maybe even a master) to lean a specific skill like plumbing, carpentry or tile setting. Apprenticeships are based strictly on the job training; there is little paper work involved. While students may choose to have in class theory on a trade, it isn’t necessary to become a tradesman. The apprentice is required to keep track of their own hours. You may take the Red Seal Exam after so many hours of on the job training.

The exam is not only for apprentices, it is also available to trade qualifiers (individuals who have experience, but never took an apprenticeship; or a journey person (someone who has a provincial or territorial certificate of qualification.) Although the Red Seal Certification isn’t essential, it will make you stand out more to employers and customers if you choose to become self-employed. Some say the certification is equivalent to college training. It is definitely worth the time and effort to get a Red Seal Endorsement if you imagine yourself moving up in your career and, eventually gaining a higher salary.

References:

http://www.horteducationbc.com/node/37
http://www.red-seal.ca/resources/wh.1t.3sn.4.1-eng.html
http://www.red-seal.ca/resources/g.2tr.2.1dy-eng.html