Skilled Trades Certification (STC), also known as compulsory trades, is now in effect in British Columbia, and this applies tradespersons working in seven electrical and mechanical trades. Employers are required to maintain a 2:1 apprentice to journeyperson supervision ratio for their workforce. STC will boost the credibility and prestige of the trades, leading to a highly skilled workforce.
As one of the identified trades, sheet metal workers are required to register as an apprentice or certified journeyperson or challenging their trade interprovincial (IP) exam. SMWTC has expanded to two facilities with more class offerings to meet industry demand for apprenticeship training.
SkilledTradesBC has both provincial and federal supports available to registered employers and apprentices. SkilledTradesBC has also enhanced their STC services to customers by:
- increasing apprenticeship training seats and certification support
- an expanded Apprenticeship Advisors team to customize support for individual apprentices
- a new, dedicated team of Certification Advisors across the province
- examination supports including webinars on best practices/strategies to succeed on the exams
- accommodation requests (e.g. translator, reader, additional time for exam)
Trade Qualifiers
Experienced workers with more than five years’ experience and more than 9,000 verifiable work-based training hours may plan to challenge certification exams as Trade Qualifiers.
There are IP exam refresher courses available through training providers, including SMWTCS. Individuals with learning difficulties may be able to access one-on-one support and request accommodations arrangements. ■
