Follow the money
The money, and why a union helps
An apprenticeship is the rare post-secondary path where your student earns while they learn: the employer pays a wage, and the province and the federal government add awards on top. Here is how to collect all of it.
The Youth WORK in Trades scholarship
A student registered with SkilledTradesBC as a Youth WORK in Trades apprentice who graduates with a C+ average and reaches 900 hours of paid work can apply for the Youth WORK in Trades scholarship. As of July 2024 the program is competitive: if more than 600 students apply, scholarships are awarded based on financial need. The hours must be paid, supervised, related to the registered trade, and reported by the school district. Log them as they happen. Nobody reconstructs a year of hours from memory in June.Source: SkilledTradesBC, Youth WORK in Trades Scholarship, opens in a new tab
Other money on the table
Youth TRAIN in Trades, Level 1 at the college
Students take Level 1 Technical Training at the partner college while still enrolled in secondary school, and it counts toward graduation. Ask the district coordinator what the family is responsible for.Source: SkilledTradesBC, Youth TRAIN in Trades, opens in a new tab
BC Training Tax Credit
Registered apprentices in BC can claim provincial training tax credits at completion milestones, with enhanced amounts for eligible First Nations and disabled apprentices. Since 1 April 2025 the credit also carries an extra $500 per level for apprentices who would previously have received the federal apprenticeship grant.Source: Government of British Columbia, BC Training Tax Credit for apprentices, opens in a new tab
The federal grants have ended
The Apprenticeship Incentive Grant and the Apprenticeship Completion Grant closed on 31 March 2025. If you read about $1,000 per level or a $2,000 completion grant, the page is out of date. In BC the replacement is the enhanced $500 per level inside the provincial training tax credit.Source: Government of British Columbia, BC Training Tax Credit for apprentices, opens in a new tab
Apprentice wage progression
Apprentices start at a percentage of the journeyperson rate and step up each level, earning through training instead of borrowing through it.
Federal apprenticeship supports
Registered apprentices can still access the interest-free Canada Apprentice Loan and Employment Insurance during in-school technical training blocks.Source: Government of Canada, Canada Apprentice Loan and EI during technical training, opens in a new tab
Scholarships
BC Achievement / district trades scholarships recognise a completed dual-credit program at graduation.
Amounts and eligibility change. Confirm current figures with SkilledTradesBC and your district before relying on them.
The union advantage
Why a union local makes a steadier sponsor
Every apprentice needs a sponsor: an employer who signs on, supervises the work and reports the hours to SkilledTradesBC. If a single company loses a contract or lays your student off, that sponsorship can end and the hours stop counting. A union local is a sponsor that outlives any one job. The hall sends the apprentice to the next contractor and the hours keep adding up. Both routes lead to a Red Seal. Here is the honest side-by-side.
| What matters | With a union local | With one independent employer |
|---|---|---|
| Wage schedule | Published rate that rises with each apprenticeship level | Whatever you and the employer agree to |
| Pension | Defined-benefit plan, contributions start in year one | Rare; usually none |
| Extended health and dental | Included through the union welfare plan | Depends on the employer |
| If work runs out | The hall dispatches you to another contractor | Sponsorship can end with the job |
| Upgrade and safety courses | Paid for by the training fund | Depends on the employer |
| If there is a dispute | Formal grievance process with a union rep | You raise it yourself |
| Getting in | Apply to the hall, sometimes a waitlist | Direct hire, usually faster to start |
Pension
Employer contributions to a multi-employer defined-benefit plan begin in the apprenticeship years. Starting at 18 rather than 28 is the single largest financial difference in a trades career.
Health benefits
Extended health, dental, vision, disability and life coverage through the union welfare plan, portable between signatory contractors rather than restarting with each employer.
Union as sponsor
The local, not a single contractor, carries the apprenticeship. Layoffs become dispatches instead of interruptions to the training record.
Unions that sponsor apprentices in BC
Pick your student's trade, or type a union name, to see which locals sponsor that work and who to contact first. Locals vary by region, so confirm details with the hall.
13 unions match.
Local numbers and offices change. Confirm the current local and contact before you call: the BC Federation of Labour member union list (opens in a new tab) covers most affiliates, and BC Building Trades (opens in a new tab) lists the construction councils, including UA, the carpenters' regional council and SMART, which do not appear on the BCFED list.
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (Locals 213, 230, 993, 1003)
Electricians, powerline technicians
Local halls dispatch apprentices between contractors, so training hours continue even when one project ends.
Who to contact first
Local 213 (Vancouver and the Lower Mainland) is the usual first call. Ask for the apprenticeship or dispatch office. Local 230 covers Victoria and the Island, 993 the Interior, 1003 the north.
United Association (Locals 170, 324, 516)
Plumbers, pipefitters, steamfitters, sprinkler fitters, gasfitters, welders
Runs its own training centres with extra certifications layered on top of the Red Seal.
Who to contact first
Local 170 in Delta runs the main plumbing and piping training centre. Ask for the apprenticeship intake coordinator. Local 324 covers sprinkler fitters, 516 refrigeration.
BC Regional Council of Carpenters (Locals 1907, 1928, 2300)
Carpenters, scaffolders, floorlayers, pile drivers
Provincial council covering the carpentry trades with structured apprenticeship advancement.
Who to contact first
Call the regional council office and ask for apprenticeship intake, then the local nearest you. Local 1907 covers the Lower Mainland, 1928 the Island, 2300 the Interior.
Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (Local 280)
Sheet metal workers, HVAC and roofing systems
Joint training centre in Surrey; apprentices are dispatched to signatory sheet metal shops.
Who to contact first
One provincial local. Contact the joint training centre in Surrey and ask when the next apprentice intake opens; dispatch to signatory shops runs through the hall.
International Union of Operating Engineers (Local 115)
Heavy equipment operators, heavy duty mechanics, crane operators
Operates its own training campus in Maple Ridge for equipment and crane tickets.
Who to contact first
Local 115 dispatch runs out of Burnaby with branch offices around the province. Ask the training campus in Maple Ridge about apprentice and ticket intakes.
International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (Lodge 359)
Boilermakers, welders on pressure work
Shutdown and industrial work dispatched through the lodge hall.
Who to contact first
Lodge 359 in Burnaby handles all BC dispatch. Ask for the dispatcher and about the pre-apprentice list for shutdown season.
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (District 250)
Machinists, millwrights, aircraft maintenance
Covers shop and aerospace apprenticeships as well as industrial maintenance.
Who to contact first
District 250 in Burnaby directs you to the lodge covering your employer or sector, since much of this work is shop based rather than dispatched.
Ironworkers (Locals 97 and 712)
Structural and reinforcing ironworkers, rodpersons
Local 97 covers structural and ornamental work; Local 712 covers rebar placing.
Who to contact first
Local 97 dispatch in Burnaby for structural and ornamental work; Local 712 for rebar and rodpersons. Ask about the apprentice application window and the entry test.
International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (District Council 38)
Painters, glaziers, drywall finishers
Finishing trades council with a training centre in Burnaby.
Who to contact first
District Council 38 in Burnaby takes apprentice applications for all the finishing trades and dispatches from the training centre.
Heat and Frost Insulators (Local 118)
Insulators
Small trade with steady industrial and institutional demand.
Who to contact first
Local 118 in Burnaby is the single BC local. Small intakes, so ask to be told when applications open.
Labourers' International Union of North America (Local 1611)
Construction craft workers, hazmat, tunnelling
Entry route onto large sites, with certification available in construction craft worker.
Who to contact first
Local 1611 dispatch in Surrey. Good first entry onto large sites; ask about the construction craft worker certification stream.
Christian Labour Association of Canada and Progressive Contractors alliance unions
Multi-trade, industrial and civil projects
Alternative (non building trades) unions that also sponsor apprentices on major BC projects.
Who to contact first
Membership follows the contractor rather than a hall. Contact the CLAC training centre in Langley and ask which signatory contractors are hiring apprentices.
Public sector and utility unions
Trades at BC Hydro, municipalities, school districts, health authorities
Many public employers hire apprentices directly into unionised trades positions.
Who to contact first
No hall dispatch. Apply directly to the employer's apprenticeship postings (BC Hydro, your city, your health authority) and the union agreement covers you once hired.
Where this comes from
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from one of these. Rules and dollar amounts change, so check the original before you act on it.
- Youth WORK in Trades Scholarship (opens in a new tab)
SkilledTradesBC
900 reported paid hours, C+ average, competitive application as of July 2024.
- Youth TRAIN in Trades (opens in a new tab)
SkilledTradesBC
Level 1 technical training at a college while still in secondary school.
- BC Training Tax Credit for apprentices (opens in a new tab)
Government of British Columbia
Completion-milestone credits, plus the $500 per level enhancement from 1 April 2025.
- Canada Apprentice Loan and EI during technical training (opens in a new tab)
Government of Canada
Interest-free loans and EI support during in-school blocks.
- Register as an apprentice (opens in a new tab)
SkilledTradesBC
Apprentice ID, sponsorship and work-based training hour reporting.
Keep going
Where to look next
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Open