A Red Seal is a sign of excellence in the trade
The Red Seal Program, formally known as the Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program, is a program that sets common standards to assess the skills of tradespeople across Canada.
The standard is an enhancement to a journeyperson’s professional title, representing their successful achievement of obtaining the Red Seal endorsement in their given Red Seal trade. It recognizes the knowledge, skills and experience of the journeyperson.
Each industry is heavily involved in developing the national standard for each trade. The program is a partnership between the federal government and provinces and territories, which are responsible for apprenticeship training and trade certification in their jurisdictions.
Tradespersons who have successfully passed the Red Seal examination receive a Red Seal endorsement on their provincial/territorial trade certificate. The Red Seal, when affixed to a provincial or territorial trade certificate, indicates that a tradesperson has demonstrated the knowledge required for the national standard in that trade.
The Red Seal endorsement promotes excellence to employers, instills pride in skilled workers, and facilitates labour mobility. Certification and Red Seal endorsement of a tradesperson can be confirmed with the provincial or territorial apprenticeship authority that issued the Red Seal. (Read more from Redseal.ca)
Why is the Red Seal Program Important?
DC38 holds the position that we need to protect the Red Seal. The program sets the bar for trades training, encouraging tradespeople to achieve the best they can.
For the individual tradesperson, the Red Seal is a passport to working anywhere across Canada, as it is recognized in all Provinces and Territories. Even though the Red Seal is not officially recognized in the United States, individual tradespersons possessing a Red Seal Certification are highly sought after by many U.S. firms given the fact that the Red Seal is a respected and recognized way to demonstrate a high level of proficiency at ones craft.
The Red Seal also acts like an insurance policy for the individual, ensuring that although work may be slow in one jurisdiction, they can always travel to where the work is in an effort to make a good living while they support themselves and their families. The Red Seal allows our union to have some assurance that members clearing into our Council meet a high standard at that craft and allows us to be confident in dispatching new members to our contractors.
Some previous governments have sought to water down the standards around the Red Seal but thankfully responsible contractors, unions and forward thinking politicians recognize the value that the Red Seal represents. We must always be vigilant in protecting the Red Seal and the standard of high quality it represents.
Read the position of BC Building Trades on the Red Seal program.
