Apprenticeship and Labour Mobility

The Government of Canada, through the Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC), is working with provincial and territorial governments, training institutions, educators, business, labour and equity groups to eliminate barriers and improve labour mobility in Canada. The ultimate objective is to find solutions that will allow qualified, skilled Canadian workers to practice their respective trades anywhere in Canada. The success of the following initiatives will result in employers and provincial certification boards having confidence that a worker trained and certified anywhere in Canada is fully competent to do the job.

Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship training is an effective, long-established way to gain valuable skills by combining on-the-job experience with classroom instruction. An adequate supply of skilled trade workers is essential to building and maintaining Canada's place in the knowledge-based economy.

Red Seal Program 
The Red Seal allows qualified tradespeople to practise their trade in any province or territory without having to write additional examinations, thus improving labour mobility in Canada and saving time and resources by eliminating the need for multiple examinations.

• The Ellis Chart  provides an interprovincial overview of the 13 Canadian apprenticeship systems.
• National Occupational Analyses (NOAs) 
  Identifies tasks performed according to the skills required in each province and territory for Red Seal trades. National Occupational Analyses are used to develop Red Seal examinations and can be used to develop curricula in training institutions.

Labour Mobility
Labour mobility means that workers qualified for work in a particular occupation in one jurisdiction have access to similar employment opportunities in any other Canadian jurisdiction. HRDC and its partners work to reconcile national occupational standards to allow workers access to jobs across Canada.