Sponsorship of Apprentices

Apprenticeship is learning a trade through mentorship. A sponsor trains and mentors an apprentice by sharing their wisdom from years of experience in the industry. A Sponsor will track and report their apprentice’s progress to the Industry Training Authority enabling them to receive credit for their progress through each level.

Apprenticeship consists of approximately 80% on the job training with an employer sponsor who is a skilled professional. Technical Training in school accounts for the remaining 20%. Apprentices require a sponsor to register for technical training, receive credit for their work hours, and obtain recommendation for certification. To become an apprentice, one must register with a sponsor employer as an apprentice or, HortEducation.ca can sponsor British Columbia Horticulture Apprentices for the technical training portion of apprenticeship.

An employer can be a sponsor to an apprentice if they have either;

  1. Certificate of Qualification in the trade the apprentice is pursuing (Red Seal Landscape Horticulturist, Utility Arborist, Arborist Technician, Climbing Arborist), or
  2. Sign-Off Authority in the trade the apprentice is pursuing (Red Seal Landscape Horticulturist, Utility Arborist, Arborist Technician, Climbing Arborist). An employer can obtain Sign-Off Authority if they have significant experience in the trade but are not certified.

HortEducation.ca can help employers with the process of becoming a sponsor. Employers can contact us if you have questions or would like help with becoming certified through challenging a certification or obtaining Sign-Off Authority.

Using HortEducationBC as a sponsor enables those new to the industry to begin an apprenticeship with technical training. This enables those with no experience to gain some knowledge and hands on experience at school. Technical training in school provides both knowledge based skills in a classroom setting, and hands on practical skills in lab or field lab settings. Apprentices may also find themselves without a sponsor because they are between jobs or any number of reasons, but wish to do a level of technical training before finding a new sponsor employer.

If you have an employer who does not have Sign-Off Authority, please contact us before initiating sponsorship with HEBC. We may be able to help them obtain Sign-Off Authority so they can act as your sponsor.

HortEducation.ca can sponsor an apprentice if they:

  • are currently not employed and would like to do a level of technical training.
  • would like to start a new career in a Horticulture trade and would prefer to start with technical training to gain some experience before finding a job.
  • would like to register for school before your employer is able to begin sponsorship.
  • are a student entering an ITA Youth Trades training program through their high school.

As a sponsor, HortEducation.ca assists new apprentices with registration to the Industry Training Authority (ITA) of British Columbia and registration with training institutions. Once the apprentice finishes a level of technical training, they will find employment with an employer qualified to sponsor them. Once an apprentice finds employment, they would transfer sponsorship to that employer, so they can begin logging the apprentice’s work based hours.

HortEducationBC can sponsor apprentices in the following trades:

 

If you have questions or would like to discuss your options before registering please contact Bill Hardy by phone or Email. If you are ready to register, please submit the appropriate Apprenticeship Agreement form below. *Note, though we have re-branded to HortEducation.ca, we still sponsor apprentices under the name HortEducationBC (HEBC)

For adults, there is a non-refundable application administration fee of $50.00 (plus $2.50 GST). Use the following sponsorship agreement form to register with HEBC. Once your application is received, you will be given instructions to register with the ITA and declare HEBC as your sponsor.

HortEducationBC Sponsorship Agreement Form for Adult Apprentices

 

For youth apprentices participating in the ITA Youth Trades programs, there is no fee for HEBC to sponsor an apprentice. Use the following sponsorship agreement form to register with HEBC. Once your registration with your school and parental permission are verified, you will be given instructions to register with the ITA and declare HEBC as your sponsor.

HortEducationBC Sponsorship Agreement for Youth Trades Apprentices