Certifying and Red Seal exams in Ontario

Two routes to the exam

Skilled Trades Ontario says you're eligible for a certifying exam if you either:

• complete an Ontario apprenticeship in a trade with a certifying exam and receive a Certificate of Apprenticeship after sending in your Completion Form, or
• are approved through a Trade Equivalency Assessment.

Trade Equivalency Assessment

The Trade Equivalency Assessment is for experienced workers who haven't completed an Ontario apprenticeship, for example people with experience from outside Canada, from another province without a certificate, or from the Canadian Forces. You must show competency in the trade's Training Standard and experience at least equal to the trade's total apprenticeship training time. It's only available in trades with certifying exams.

After an apprenticeship

When you finish an apprenticeship in a trade with a certifying exam, Skilled Trades Ontario issues a Provisional Certificate of Qualification, valid for one year, to give you time to pass the exam (Finish an apprenticeship).

Booking and retakes

Skilled Trades Ontario delivers its certifying exams in-house, in English or French. If you don't pass, there's a mandatory 30-day wait before you can retake (Exam scheduling).

Practise first: check your trade's question count and try the free quizzes.

FAQ