View source for Becoming Certified

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There are two paths to a 269E Certificate of Qualification: '''registered apprenticeship''', or the '''exam-challenge''' route for experienced workers who never formally apprenticed.

== Entrance requirements ==

Minimum academic standard: completion of Grade 12, or a Ministry-approved equivalent.

{{Source|doc=Apprenticeship Training Standard|section=Program Requirements, p.4}}

== The apprenticeship path ==

An apprenticeship is a training agreement between an apprentice and a sponsor/employer, registered with Employment Ontario / Skilled Trades Ontario. It combines:

* '''4,520 hours''' of on-the-job training (the duration the Industry Committee identified as generally necessary to become competent), tracked against the 9 skill sets in the [[Training Standard]]; and
* '''480 hours''' of in-school training, delivered per the [[Curriculum]] (4 levels of 120 hours each, typically block-release or part-time/night school).

The Industry Committee identified a '''1:1 journeyperson-to-apprentice ratio''' as generally necessary for proper on-the-job training. In practice this means an apprentice normally works alongside (or under the supervision of) a journeyperson or equivalent.

To '''complete''' the apprenticeship program (and receive a Certificate of Apprenticeship), an apprentice must:

* achieve competency in all mandatory (unshaded) skills identified in the Training Standard, signed off by the sponsor/employer; and
* complete the in-school Curriculum.

{{Source|doc=Apprenticeship Training Standard|section=Apprenticeship Program Summary/Guidelines, pp.2&ndash;4}}

=== Registering as an apprentice ===

When a person who wants to be an apprentice has found a sponsor/employer willing to train them, either party contacts apprenticeship staff at the local Employment Ontario office. A training consultant arranges a meeting at the workplace to assess the sponsor/employer's ability to train, prepares the training agreement, and initiates training. At that point the apprentice receives their copy of the Training Standard, which becomes their personal record of on-the-job progress.

{{Source|doc=IATSE Local 873 Apprenticeship Flyer}}

== The exam-challenge path (non-apprentices) ==

A worker who has never registered as an apprentice can still challenge the C of Q exam directly. To be eligible, the challenger must:

* provide proof of competency in all mandatory (unshaded) skills identified in the Training Standard; and
* demonstrate that they have acquired '''5,000 hours''' of on-the-job experience in the trade.

{{Source|doc=Apprenticeship Training Standard|section=Program Requirements, p.4}}

== After certification ==

Passing the exam (70% pass mark &mdash; see [[Exam Prep]]) earns a Certificate of Qualification. Completing the full apprenticeship (hours + curriculum, whether or not the exam has been passed yet) earns a Certificate of Apprenticeship. See [[About 269E]] for how these two credentials differ.

== See also ==

* [[About 269E]]
* [[Training Standard]]
* [[Curriculum]]
* [[Exam Prep]]
* [[The Union]]

[[Category:Training Standard]]