Information for foreign-trained industrial electricians
(7242) Verified: 2011 09 15
Information on requirements to practise
Trade certification can be either compulsory or voluntary. To practice in trades where certification is compulsory, workers must generally be certified or registered as apprentices. In trades where certification is voluntary, certification and apprenticeship are often used to indicate the level of competency of the holder, but workers are not required to be registered or certified in order to practice. Red Seal Certification itself is never mandatory, except where indicated as such by jurisdictions in specific legislation. Once you know where you will settle and work in Canada, you should contact the appropriate provincial/territorial office (see list below) for further information about licensing or certification.
The trade indicated in the title has been designated as an Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Trade, for which all provinces and territories (except the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Quebec and the Yukon) have jointly agreed on certification standards. In these trades, apprentices who have completed their training and certified journeypersons, holders of provincial or territorial Certificates of Qualification, can apply to write an Interprovincial Standards Examination; if successful, they receive a distinctive "Red Seal" to affix to their Certificate of Qualification.
The Interprovincial Standards "Red Seal" Examinations are administered through the provincial and territorial apprenticeship and training or certification offices. Holders of a Red Seal Certificate are exempt from further examination when moving between participating provinces and territories. A Red Seal Certificate may be required by some employers as a condition for employment. To obtain more information about the Red Seal Certificate, contact:
- Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship (CCDA)
- Red Seal Program / Programme du Sceau rouge
- Gatineau QC K1A 0J9 Canada
- Email : redseal-sceaurouge@hrsdc-rhdsc.gc.ca
- http://red-seal.ca/c.4nt.1cts@-eng.jsp
Information on assessment of qualifications
The provincial/territorial authorities are not set up to assess foreign credentials prior to your arrival in Canada. However, you can contact them to obtain specific information about practising your trade in their jurisdiction.
If you wish to have your credentials assessed for a purpose other than practising a regulated occupation in Canada, you may consult our Fact Sheet No. 2, "Assessment and recognition of credentials for the purpose of employment in Canada" and contact an academic credential evaluation service. Although evaluation services offer expert advice on how qualifications obtained abroad compare with academic credentials obtained in Canada, their evaluations are advisory only and do not guarantee recognition of your qualifications for employment or certification purposes in Canada. Please note that evaluation services charge a fee for their assessments.
Other relevant information
For a general description of duties and employment requirements, you can refer to the information prepared by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada regarding:
Specific Provincial/Territorial Information
List of apprenticeship, training, and trade certification offices
Alberta
- Alberta - Apprenticeship and Industry Training
- 7th Floor, Commerce Place, 10155 -102 Street
- Edmonton AB T5J 4L5 Canada
- Phone : (780) 427-8765
- Fax : (780) 422-7376
- Email : aitinfo@gov.ab.ca
- http://www.tradesecrets.gov.ab.ca/
- Foreign Trained Worker Information
British Columbia
- Industry Training Authority (ITA)
- ITA Customer Service
Suite 110, 2985 Virtual Way- Vancouver BC V5M 4X7
- Phone : (778) 328-8700
- Phone (alternate): 1-866-660-6011
- Fax : (778) 328-8701
- Email : customerservice@itabc.ca
- http://www.itabc.ca/site3.aspx
- Opportunities for immigrants
Manitoba
- Manitoba - Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade
- 1010 - 401 York Avenue
- Winnipeg MB R3C 0P8 Canada
- Phone : 204-945-3337
- Phone (alternate): 1-877-978-7233
- Fax : 204-948-2346
- Email : apprenticeship@gov.mb.ca
- http://www.gov.mb.ca/tce/apprent/contacts/index.html
New Brunswick
- New Brunswick - Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour, Apprenticeship and Certification
- P.O. Box 6000
470 York Street, Room 100- Fredericton NB E3B 5H1 Canada
- Phone : (506) 453-2260
- Phone (alternate): 1-877-453-3030
- Fax : (506) 453-5317
- Email : aoc-acp@gnb.ca
- http://www.gnb.ca/0381/index-e.asp
- Apprenticeship - Mobility/Recognition of Credentials
Newfoundland and Labrador
- Newfoundland & Labrador - Department of Education, Apprenticeship and Certification
- Confederation Bldg., West Block, 4th Floor
P.O. Box 8700- St. John's NL A1B 4J6 Canada
- Phone : (709) 729-2729
- Phone (alternate): 1-877-771-3737
- Fax : (709) 729-5878
- Email : app@gov.nl.ca
- http://www.ed.gov.nl.ca/app/
Northwest Territories
- Northwest Territories - Education, Culture and Employment: Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification
- P.O. Box 1320
- Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
- Phone : (867) 873-7552
- Fax : (867) 873-0200
- Email : certification@gov.nt.ca
- http://www.ece.gov.nt.ca/Divisions/Apprenticeship/index.htm
Nova Scotia
- Nova Scotia - Department of Labour and Workforce Development, Apprenticeship Training and Skill Development Division
- 2021 Brunswick Street, Suite 402, P.O. Box 578
- Halifax NS B3J 2S9
- Phone : (902) 424-5651
- Phone (alternate): 1-800-494-5651
- Fax : (902) 424-0717
- Email : apprenticeship@gov.ns.ca
- http://nsapprenticeship.ca/
- Credential Recognition
Nunavut
- Nunavut - Department of Education, Adult Learning and Post-Secondary Services
- Box 390
- Arviat NU X0C 0E0 Canada
- Phone : (867) 857-3050
- Fax : (867) 857-3090
- http://www.edu.gov.nu.ca/apps/authoring/dspPage.aspx?page=9
Ontario
- Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, Employment Ontario
- Regional Apprenticeship Offices/Centres d'apprentissage régionaux
- Toronto ON M7A 2S3 Canada
- Phone : 1-800-387-5656 (Ontario)
- Email : information.met@ontario.ca
- http://www.tcu.gov.on.ca/eng/employmentontario/training/
- Guide for the Foreign-Trained Tradespeople
Prince Edward Island
- Prince Edward Island - Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Apprenticeship Training
- 16 Fitzroy Street, 3rd Floor
P.O. Box 2000- Charlottetown PE C1A 7N8
- Phone : (902) 368-4460
- Fax : (902) 368-6144
- Email : rjmacinnis@edu.pe.ca
- http://www.gov.pe.ca/educ/index.php3?number=74951&lang=E
Quebec
- Quebec - Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale, Emploi-Québec
- 800, Tour de la Place Victoria, 27e étage
C.P. 100- Montréal QC H4Z 1B7 Canada
- Phone : (514) 864-2458
- Fax : (514) 873-2189
- Email : gilles.dube@mess.gouv.qc.ca
- http://emploiquebec.net/individus/qualification.asp
- Aide aux personnes immigrantes et aux minorités visibles
Saskatchewan
- Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission
- 2140 Hamilton Street
- Regina SK S4P 2E3 Canada
- Phone : (306) 787-2444
- Phone (alternate): 1-877-363-0536
- Fax : (306) 787-5105
- Email : apprenticeship@sasked.gov.sk.ca
- http://www.saskapprenticeship.ca/
- Working in Saskatchewan
Yukon
- Yukon - Advanced Education, Apprenticeship and Tradesperson Qualifications
- 1000 Lewes Blvd, P.O. Box 2703
- Whitehorse YT Y1A 2C6 Canada
- Phone : (867) 667-5140
- Phone (alternate): 1 800 661-0408
- Fax : (867) 667-8555
- Email : John.Gryba@gov.yk.ca
- http://www.education.gov.yk.ca/advanceded/apprenticeship/