Be prepared to support your apprentices!

• Program
  • Visit tradesecrets.alberta.ca/trades to explore the apprenticeship programs offered in Alberta. 
  • Which apprenticeship program will the apprentices you sponsor need to register in? 
  • How many periods, hours of classroom instruction, hours of on-the-job instruction, are required for certification? 
  • Educate yourself so you can better support your apprentices.

• Wages
  • Review the required apprentice wages in Schedule 1 (pages 20 and 21) of the Apprenticeship Education and Industry Training Programs Regulation. 
  • As a sponsor, you must ensure your apprentices are paid wages in accordance with Schedule 1. 

• Ratios
  • Review the required apprentice-to-mentor ratios in Schedule 2 (pages 22 and 23) of the Apprenticeship Education and Industry Training Programs Regulation. 
  • To employ an apprentice, an employer needs to also employ a journeyperson mentor (in the same trade as the apprentice) to provide instruction, guidance, and supervision. 
  • As a sponsor, you must ensure the ratio of apprentices to mentors complies with Schedule 2. 

Find someone who wants to learn a trade, and get started!

If your apprentice is not registered in the apprenticeship education program with AIT, ask them to register online through tradesecrets.alberta.ca/MyTradesecrets.

• You will receive an email with a link to confirm your sponsorship of the apprentice and enter into an Apprenticeship Education Agreement.
• You may choose to pay an apprentice's application fee online.
• You may be asked to approve any previous work experience the apprentice has for credit toward their program.

If your apprentice was already registered through a different sponsor, complete and sign a Notice of Acceptance form to register your sponsorship of the apprentice.

• Have your apprentice sign the notice and upload it to their MyTradesecrets account through the Applications tab.
• Ask to see their Apprentice ID Card or visit the visit the Check Credentials tool to confirm their period.
• Call the AIT Information Line at 1-800-248-4823 if they have questions about the status of their apprenticeship.

Provide your apprentice with paid, on-the-job instruction under the mentorship of a certified journeyperson.

Approximately 80% of an apprenticeship program is on-the-job, so effective mentorship is key. Effective mentorship includes providing apprentices with:

• information, knowledge, guidance, and opportunities to develop their skillsets,
• opportunities to integrate what they learn in the classroom with their on-the-job experiences,
• continual support, monitoring, and feedback, and
• assessments of their competencies gained from on-the-job training activities.

Keep track of and evaluate your apprentice's on-the-job instruction.

• Verify all hours, months, and work in your apprentice’s competency portfolio (blue book).
  • Ensure both you and the apprentice have completed the appropriate sections to document their hours of on-the-job training and competencies practiced. 
• At the end of each year, have the apprentice upload their signed off Verification of On-the-job Training and Work Experience pages from their competency portfolio to their MyTradesecrets account.

Part of a sponsor's role is to help the apprentice progress through the apprenticeship program.

This includes attending their required classroom instruction and passing any associated exams. 

• If your apprentice is eligible to attend training, they will be notified in the spring when class schedules become available for registration. 
• Apprentices should consult with their employer to determine the most convenient class to register in and receive time off. 
• Apprentices are eligible to receive Employment Insurance while they are off work to attend class.