Business Competencies
Achievement in Business Competencies (Blue Seal) Program
If you have a valid Alberta Journeyman Certificate, Alberta Occupational Certificate or a valid recognized trade certificate you are eligible to apply for a Blue Seal Certificate.
The Blue Seal Certificate is for certified tradespeople who want to develop their business skills. A Blue Seal Certificate shows that a tradesperson not only meets Alberta’s high industry standards, but has the knowledge and drive to succeed in business. Tradespeople who complete the Blue Seal program may move into leadership, supervisory, entrepreneurial and other roles.
There are 17 business subject areas you may study.
To obtain a Blue Seal Certificate you must:
- complete a program of study approved by the Apprenticeship and Industry Training Board, or
- complete 150 hours of study in one or more of the subject areas provided by an approved training provider.
To obtain a Blue Seal Certificate download the Achievement in Business Competencies – Blue Seal Application and submit official transcripts and supporting documentation with the applicable non-refundable fee to any Apprenticeship and Industry Training office.
Training Institutions for the Blue Seal Program
Business training for the Blue Seal Certificate can be completed at the following training institutions.
Alberta
- Technical Institutes
- Public Colleges
- Bow Valley College Calgary
- Grande Prairie Regional College Grande Prairie
- Keyano College Fort McMurray
- Lakeland College Vermillion
- Lethbridge College Lethbridge
- Medicine Hat College Medicine Hat
- NorQuest College Edmonton
- Northern Lakes College Lesser Slave Lake
- Olds College Olds
- Portage College Lac La Biche
- Red Deer College Red Deer
- Private University Colleges
- Alliance - Nazarene University College Calgary
- Canadian University College College Heights
- Columbia College Calgary
- Concordia University College of Alberta Edmonton
- The King's University College Edmonton
- Universities
- Athabasca University Athabasca
- Grant MacEwan University Edmonton
- Mount Royal University Calgary
- University of Alberta Edmonton
- University of Calgary Calgary
- University of Lethbridge Lethbridge
- Other
- Banff Centre Banff
- Professional Home Builders Institute Calgary
- Merit Contractors Association Edmonton
- Alberta Construction Safety Association (ACSA) Edmonton
- Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC) Edmonton
- Construction Labour Relations Association (CLRA) Edmonton
- Certified General Accountants Association of Alberta
- Alberta Safety Codes Council
- Electrical Contractors Association of Alberta Edmonton
Business training delivered by other providers, such as colleges from other provinces, will be considered. Contact your nearest Apprenticeship and Industry Training office for more information.
Non-Alberta institutions
- Briercrest College and Seminary Saskatchewan
- British Columbia Institute of Technology Burnaby, B.C.
- Cape Breton University Nova Scotia
- CDI College
- Dale Carnegie Courses
- Dalhousie University Nova Scotia
- Durham College Ontario
- Eastern College Nfd.
- George Washington University, Washington D.C.
- Georgian College Ontario
- Institute de technologie agroalimentaire Quebec
- Kwantlen Polytechnic University College B.C.
- McMaster University Hamilton Ontario
- Memorial University St. John's Newfoundland
- National Seminars Training
- Red River College Manitoba
- Royal Roads University, BC
- Sir Sandford Fleming College Peterborough, Ontario
- Thompson Rivers University Kamloops, B.C.
- University of Ottawa Ottawa, Ontario
- Universite of Quebec Trois – Rivieres, Quebec
- Baldwin Wallace College/University Ohio USA
- University of New Brunswick St.John's, New Brunswick
- University of Windsor Windsor, Ontario
- Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology Nepean,Ontario
- Mohawk College Hamilton, Ontario
Board-approved programs of study for full credit for the Blue Seal Certificate
- Electrical Contractors Association of Alberta
- Professional Electrical Contractor Program
- Grande Prairie Regional College(GPRC)
- Business Administration Certificate Program
- Mechanical Contractors Association of Alberta (Canadian Mechanical Contracting Education Foundation)
- Mechanical Contracting Project Management Course
- Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT)
- Business Management Certificate Program
- Supervisory Development Certificate Program
- Plant Engineering and Maintenance Association of Canada (PEMAC)
- Maintenance Management Professional Certification (MMP)
- Red Deer College
- Business Proficiency Designation Program
- Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)
- Applied Management Certificate
- Thompson Rivers University
- Certificate in Business Skills Program
- University of Lethbridge
- General Management Certificate program
Board-approved programs for partial credit toward a Blue Seal Certificate
Each of these programs, or two in combination, must be taken with other approved Blue Seal Program(s) to accumulate the total of 150 hours of study necessary to apply for the Blue Seal Certificate.
- Merit Contractors
- Project Management Program - 65 hours
- Supervisory Training Program - 39 hours
- Advanced Supervisory Training Program - 33 hours
- Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC) Supervisor Training - 39 hours
- Construction Labour Relations Association (CLRA) Better Supervision Training Program - 54 hours
- Alberta Construction Safety Association (ACSA) Leadership for Safety Excellence - 16 hours
