How Apprenticeships Work in Canada, What They Pay, and What It Costs to Start

In Canada you enter a skilled trade through a registered apprenticeship: paid work under a certified journeyperson, broken up by short in-class blocks, over two to five years. Your pay is a rising share of the journeyperson rate, provinces cover part of the schooling cost, and an interest-free federal loan is open to apprentices in Red Seal trades.

An apprenticeship is paid work with school blocks built in

An apprenticeship is a job first and a program second. Ontario's Start an apprenticeship page describes the pattern for most trades as working for about a year, then switching to in-class training for eight to 12 weeks, full or part time. Most trades have two or three of those classroom levels, and the whole thing takes between two and five years.

British Columbia describes the same model differently. SkilledTradesBC puts about 80 per cent of the training on the worksite and 20 per cent in the classroom, with an average of four years to complete. Each trade sets a mandatory number of work-based hours before you can certify, and only your sponsor can report them.

To register in Ontario you need to be at least 16, have legal permission to work in Canada, meet your trade's educational requirements, and have a sponsor. At 18 or older you apply online through the Skilled Trades Ontario Portal; 16 and 17 year olds use a paper form signed by a parent or guardian and the sponsor. Once approved, you and your sponsor sign a training agreement and the ministry registers it.

Supervision is regulated too. Skilled Trades Ontario's sponsor page states that trades with ratios under the Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act, 2021 must follow a 1:1 journeyperson-to-apprentice ratio, with the ratio trades listed in Ontario Regulation 876/21.

Pay rises by level, as a percentage of the journeyperson rate

Apprentices earn a set share of the journeyperson wage at their workplace, and that share climbs each level. Newfoundland and Labrador publishes the clearest schedule. Its progression schedules set minimums for 7,200-hour trades (including construction electrician, plumber, carpenter and refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic) and 5,400-hour trades (including welder):

Those are minimums, and the page notes employers may pay more. Other provinces set rates through collective agreements or trade regulations, so ask your sponsor or union before you sign.

Here is what Job Bank reports as the median hourly wage for four common trades, 2023 to 2024 reference period:

Province matters: the electrician page shows Alberta's median at $38.00 and BC's at $34.00. And a first-year apprentice at 60 per cent of a $35.00 rate earns about $21.00 an hour. That is the honest way to read "trades that pay well": the money is real, but it arrives by level.

Finding a sponsor is the hard part, and there are three routes

A sponsor takes responsibility for your training, and in Ontario it is typically your employer. Skilled Trades Ontario says a sponsor can be an individual such as a certified journeyperson, contractor or employer, or a group such as a union, industry association or consortium. First-time sponsors must be approved before signing a training agreement.

• Direct to an employer. Ontario's list of places to look includes college placement offices, Job Bank, Employment Ontario, unions and trade associations, local companies, and your own network. Guidance counsellors are the route for high school students. You can change sponsors later.
• Through a union. Many unions act as group sponsors and run training centres where some in-class blocks happen. The federal government's May 2026 announcement, covered below, also directs money to union-run training centres.
• Through a pre-apprenticeship program. Ontario's pre-apprenticeship training is for people who want a trade but lack the skills or experience to land an apprenticeship job. The province states there is no cost to participants, that textbooks, safety equipment and tools are covered, that programs run up to 52 weeks, and that each includes safety training, academic upgrading, basic Level 1 content and an 8 to 12 week work placement.

BC's process is similar: pick a trade, find a sponsor and employer, then register through the SkilledTradesBC Portal, where both of you need accounts.

What it costs to start, and what helps pay for it

The main costs are classroom fees, lost wages during school blocks, tools, PPE and the exam. Several are now covered.

Classroom fees. Ontario charges a $10 per day classroom fee for in-class training. A November 2025 ministry memo states the Ministry covers that fee for Level 1 apprentices in all trades for classes starting on or after January 1, 2026, with refunds for anyone who already paid. Fees for Level 2 and up are still collected where applicable.

Income while in school. Registered apprentices in Ontario and BC can claim Employment Insurance during in-class training. Ontario's Apprentice Development Benefit also helps with living expenses, dependent care, commuting and living away from home during full-time blocks.

Tools. Ontario's tools grant is a non-repayable $1,000 for motive power trades, $600 for construction, $600 for industrial and $400 for service trades, paid once you have completed or been exempted from Level 1 and held a registered training agreement for 12 months. Treat those figures as a floor for a starter kit, not the whole bill.

Exam fee. In Ontario trades with a certifying exam, the fee is $150 plus HST, but the finishing an apprenticeship page states apprentices with a completed training agreement do not pay for their first attempt.

Federal grants: closed. The Government of Canada's Apprenticeship Grants page, updated June 23, 2026, states that the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant ($1,000 per level, lifetime maximum $2,000) and the Apprenticeship Completion Grant ($2,000) both closed on March 31, 2025, and applications are no longer accepted.

Canada Apprentice Loan: open. The loan page offers up to $4,000 in interest-free loans per period of technical training to apprentices in a designated Red Seal trade. No interest or payments until you complete or leave your program, you can apply three months before training starts, and funding can begin on day one while an EI claim is processed. Quebec does not participate and runs its own program.

Announced, not yet listed as open. On May 1, 2026, Employment and Social Development Canada issued a news release describing "Team Canada Strong," a $6 billion plan to recruit, train and hire 80,000 to 100,000 new Red Seal workers over five years. It names a one-time $5,000 completion bonus for Red Seal certification, an Apprenticeship Training Grant paying a $400 weekly top-up during mandatory in-class training, up to $16,000 per apprentice in total on top of EI, and a Build Canada Apprenticeship Service offering employers up to $10,000 toward an apprentice's first-year salary. The release gives no eligibility criteria or start dates, and the federal grants page did not list these as open at its June update. Ask your apprenticeship office what has launched.

The Red Seal and the Certificate of Qualification

Finishing gives you a Certificate of Apprenticeship; passing the exam gives you a Certificate of Qualification. In Ontario, Skilled Trades Ontario issues the Certificate of Apprenticeship once your sponsor confirms completion. In trades with a certifying exam it also automatically issues a Provisional Certificate of Qualification, valid for one year, so you can keep working while you prepare. The minimum passing mark is 70 per cent, the same as BC's.

In a compulsory trade the certificate is not optional. Ontario has 23 compulsory trades, including Electrician (Construction and Maintenance), Plumber, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Systems Mechanic and Steamfitter. To work in one you must hold a Certificate of Qualification, a Provisional Certificate of Qualification, or a Registered Training Agreement as an apprentice. So the direct answer to "how do I become an electrician in Ontario" is: register with a sponsor, complete your hours and in-class levels, and pass the Certificate of Qualification exam.

The Red Seal sits on top. The Red Seal Program is a federal, provincial and territorial partnership that sets a common national standard for each designated trade, developed with industry. Passing the Interprovincial Red Seal examination puts a Red Seal endorsement on your provincial certificate, and most provinces use that exam as the final certification exam in Red Seal trades. It shows you meet the national standard and makes it easier to work in another province, though certification itself still comes from the province. The current list runs to more than 50 trades, including construction electrician, plumber, welder, carpenter and refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic.

A starter PPE budget, and where boots fit

Plan on buying basic PPE before your first shift unless your sponsor supplies it: hard hat, safety glasses, work gloves, hearing protection, a high-visibility vest if the site requires one, and CSA approved safety shoes. Footwear is the most expensive item on that list and the one you wear eight hours a day, so it is worth getting right rather than cheap.

Look for the CSA Z195 Grade 1 green triangle, which means a toe cap rated to 125 J and a puncture-resistant sole; our post on what CSA Grade 1 means decodes the symbols. Most apprentices do not need an insulated or logger-style boot to start. A lightweight Grade 1 shoe covers most indoor and shoulder-season site work, and Tiger King's Tofino is an athletic-style option with a composite toe and a true extra-wide fit that sits under $150, where most first-year budgets land. For more choices at that price, see metal-free CSA safety shoes under $150, and for what else to bring on day one, read your first week on a Canadian job site.

Two caveats. Footwear is one line of a PPE budget and does not make up for skipping hearing or eye protection. And if your trade keeps you outdoors all winter, you will need an insulated boot, which we do not make.

FAQ

How long does it take to become an electrician in Ontario? Ontario says apprenticeships take two to five years, with hours and in-class levels set by each trade's training standard. Electrician (Construction and Maintenance) is a compulsory trade, so you finish by passing the Certificate of Qualification exam, with a one-year provisional certificate to keep working meanwhile.

Do I get paid during the in-class part? Not wages, but registered apprentices in Ontario and BC can claim Employment Insurance during in-school training, and the Canada Apprentice Loan can start on day one while the EI claim is processed. Ontario also covers the $10 per day classroom fee for Level 1 classes starting on or after January 1, 2026.

Is the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant still available? No. The federal grants page states that both the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant and the Apprenticeship Completion Grant closed on March 31, 2025. New measures, including a $5,000 completion bonus, were announced on May 1, 2026, but check canada.ca or your apprenticeship office for whether they have launched.

Do I need a sponsor before I can register? Yes. In Ontario a sponsor is one of the four eligibility requirements, and BC requires both you and your sponsor to confirm registration through the portal. If you cannot find one, a pre-apprenticeship program is the structured way in, and in Ontario it is free.