The Grandfather Clause? Many of our local trades workers are not certified in their trade.

The reasons for this lack of certification vary but in most cases it boils down to lack of local apprenticeship opportunities and lack of available trades and apprenticeship training. However, in no way is this to imply that our non-certified tradespersons are not as experienced, knowledgeable or skilled at their trade. When inquiring about obtaining certifications numerous times I have been told that the Grandfathering period has passed. This is not true. While Industry may not be calling this a Grandfathering Clause, the option to have work experience hours and technical knowledge assessed remains. When someone advances through the formal apprenticeship system at a typical rate Journeyman Status (Certificate of Trades Qualification) is achieved in 4-5 years. In order to challenge certification an individual is required to have worked in their trade for 1.5 times the required hours, so on average 6-8 years. Completing a challenge application form, which requires current and/or previous employers to complete documentation of hours worked and specific skills learned on the job, can challenge the entire trade certification in most trades. Tradespersons pursuing a BC Certified Trade, such as Utility Arborist or ???, can apply for Equivalency Status which allows them to supervise and train apprentices and be recognized by Industry as having the equivalent experience to a BC Certified Tradesperson. Red Seal (Interprovincial) Tradespersons, such as a Carpenter, Mechanic or Plumber, are able to challenge the Interprovincial Exam. If successful they obtain a Red Seal Certification, which allows them to train and supervise apprentices and have their certification recognized across Canada enabling job mobility. A $120 fee is required when submitting the challenge application form. Apprentices also have the option of challenging some of the level exams. This does not require proof of hours worked in the trade or a fee. The one page form is available on the ITA website. Vernon is one of the 6 Industry Training Authority exam sites and challenge and apprenticeship exams take place on a monthly basis. Challenge Application Forms take time to process and have work based hours verified so therefore an exam challenger should expect the

exam to be scheduled a minimum of 4-6 weeks after sending in the completed application. In order to assess technical knowledge of a trade or prepare for taking an Interprovincial Exam there are sample exams available for some trades purchased from Exambank.com. These exams are multiple choice and are available as half (40-60 questions) and full (70-140 questions) with questions being randomly selected from over 1600 possibilities, enabling an individual to take multiple practice exams. There are exams for each apprenticeship level including shorter exams for specific aspects of the trade such as trades math and building codes as well as practice Interprovincial exams. These practice exams can illustrate strengths and weaknesses and indicate potential areas that more technical knowledge is required prior to taking an exam. There are also some additional exams available from other sources and topics range from trades math, mechanical aptitudes and entrylevel training assessments.