Ellis Chart

The Ellis Chart website provides comparative apprenticeship and certification information on designated trades in Canada. This includes both Red Seal trades and non-Red Seal trades

Key Features of the Ellis Chart

The Ellis Chart includes the following information for each trade for the province or territory where the trade is designated:

• Red Seal Offered
• Apprenticeship Program Characteristics (e.g. length, levels, ratios, etc.)
• Certification Characteristics (e.g. hours required, licensing requirements, format of examinations)

The purpose of the Ellis Chart is to give an easy comparison of trade programs. For more detailed information about the program in each province or territory, please refer to that province or territory’s apprenticeship website.

Maintaining the Ellis Chart

The Ellis Chart is produced by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) in partnership with the Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship (CCDA).

History

The Ellis Chart was formed after the first committee of provincial and territorial apprenticeship directors met in 1952. The committee met to compare training programs and discuss mutual recognition of certificates. They recognized the challenges due to the many differences across the country.

Apprenticeship programs had been formalized in each province and territory at various times in Canadian history. The result: separate and often different systems of training and certification.

Frank Ellis, then Director of Apprenticeship for Saskatchewan, sought a solution for the committee. He developed a detailed table that made it possible to compare provincial and territorial programs. Over the years, he continued to update his table to incorporate changes and new programs. This became known as the Ellis Chart and the federal government has been responsible for updating and publishing the table since 1972, when Ellis retired.