E-blast - Red Seal Occupational Standards Updates

Canada’s Red Seal Program is based on quality standards for the trades. Did you know that every one of the 54 Red Seal trades’ occupational standard is written by trade experts from across the country?

National consultations are held to revise the standard for each trade on a regular basis to make sure it accurately reflects the high level of trade skills and knowledge required for today’s workplace. In addition, every standard gets reviewed and validated by provincial/territorial committees of experts.

These standards serve a number of purposes. Importantly, they are the basis for the Red Seal examinations for each trade, used in all provinces and territories to issue Red Seal endorsements. This has always been the case, but over the past few years, additional tools to support exam writers have been developed and are available on the Red Seal website.

Standards are also used to support harmonized apprenticeship training. In fact, since 2014, when the Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship (CCDA) committed to substantively aligning apprenticeship models across provinces and territories (trade name, total hours, number of levels or in-school training and sequence of training), 47 trades covering almost 99% of apprentices have been harmonized. Every time a trade’s standard is updated, there is an opportunity to review and improve these recommendations, so that trades training continues to be excellent and well-aligned across the country.

Here are the trades with new standards that have been published over the past 3 years:

• Agricultural Equipment Technician
• Automotive Service Technician
• Baker
• Bricklayer
• Cabinetmaker
• Carpenter
• Construction Electrician
• Drywall Finisher and Plasterer
• Floorcovering Installer
• Heavy Duty Equipment Technician
• Industrial Electrician
• Lather (Interior System Mechanic)
• Metal Fabricator (Fitter)
• Mobile Crane Operator
• Painter and Decorator
• Plumber
• Recreation Vehicle Service Technician
• Steamfitter/Pipefitter
• Tilesetter
• Tower Crane Operator
• Transport Trailer Technician
• Truck and Transport Mechanic
• Welder

The CCDA would like to sincerely thank all the trade experts who contributed their time and knowledge to the Red Seal Occupational Standards for their trades.