How Should Alberta Regulate Skilled Trades and Apprenticeships?
Official title: Skilled trades and apprenticeship engagement
Why This Matters
Thinking about a career in the trades? This shaped how Alberta trains and certifies electricians, plumbers, welders, and dozens of other skilled workers. If you're an apprentice, employer, or journeyperson, these rules affect your path to certification and your workplace.
What Could Change
The new act created a more flexible certification system beyond just compulsory and optional trades. A new appointed board now oversees skilled trade professions. Appeal processes were modernized, and compliance enforcement was updated. Red tape was reduced to help Alberta's workforce adapt to emerging challenges.
Key Issues
- What should the eligibility criteria and roles be for apprenticeship sponsors?
- How can on-the-job learning be strengthened, including mentorship and competency assessments?
- What flexible certification models should a new board be able to create?
- How should appeal processes and compliance enforcement be modernized?
How to Participate
- This consultation is now closed. Stakeholders participated through virtual focus groups and online surveys in June and July 2021.
What Happened
Stakeholder feedback helped inform regulations, policies, and program changes under the Skilled Trades and Apprenticeship Education Act. The act received Royal Assent on June 17, 2021, repealing the old Apprenticeship and Industry Training Act. Participating groups included registered apprentices, employers, journeypersons, approximately 80 organizations including unions and industry associations, post-secondary institutions, and trades committees for all designated trades in Alberta.