Direct Access displays information on individual tradesworkers in a series of tabs. Apprentices have full access to all tabs, while sponsors and training provider staff cannot see some tabs (details below) and have limited access to others.
Registrations
All of an individual’s active Apprenticeships (or other ITA programs) are listed here. Clicking on the program name will display a program transcript with all achievements (ie wbt hours, training, exams etc) for that program. Sponsors and Training Providers are able to view apprentices’ transcripts. Prior apprenticeships (complete or partial) are not displayed, but apprentices can view any of their past achievements the ITA has on-file in the Results tab.
Personal Info
CHANGE PASSWORD
When an individual is viewing their own file, the Change Password button will appear in the upper-right corner of the Personal Info tab. Passwords must meet the following criteria:
- contain a minimum of 8 characters;
- contain characters from at least three of the following categories:
- English upper case characters (A to Z)
- English lower case characters (a to z)
- Numerals (0 to 9)
- Non-alphanumeric keyboard symbols (e.g., ! $ # %); and,
- not contain the user name or any given or surnames of the user.
The new password must be entered into both fields before it will be accepted.
VITAL DETAILS
An individual’s full legal name, date of birth, and gender are displayed at the top of the Personal Info tab. This information cannot be modified here – if there are any innaccuracies you must contact ITA Customer Service directly for assistance. We require original or certified true copies of official government documents (certificate of name change, marriage certificate, birth certificate) to change any vital details.
CONTACT INFO
An individual’s mailing address, email, phone number and fax number may be viewed or edited by the individual, or by an apprentice’s sponsor. If a new email address is entered, a confirmation link will be sent to the new email address that must be clicked before the new address is accepted.
Training providers cannot see apprentices’ contact info.
ABORIGINAL STATUS
If you self-identify as First Nations, Metis, or Inuit, you may indicate ‘Yes’ in the drop-down menu, and then indicate one of these three in the second drop-down that appears. This information helps the ITA improve its Aboriginal programs, and will not be released to schools or any other third-party.
GRAD DATE
High School Grad Date is only required for youth apprentices enrolled in a secondary-school apprenticeship program.
INFORMATION SHARING
If the ‘I agree to share personal information…’ tick-box is selected (the default is Yes) the ITA may periodically send you trade-specific information on behalf of training providers or other ITA partners. In all cases the ITA handles the mailing and your contact information is not disclosed to any third-parties.
Results
All apprenticeship achievements (for any trade) that the ITA has on-file for an individual are listed on the results tab. This includes training marks, exam results, work based training hours, competency assessments, and document assessments.
The results tab is not available to sponsors or training providers, though both are able to see the transcript for their apprentices’ current active apprenticeship via the Registrations tab.
EXAM TOPIC RESULTS
The ‘View Topic Results’ link next to each exam result brings up a mark breakdown by topic. Please Note: Many tradesworkers will try averaging the topic percentages and complain that the average is different from their final mark. Since there are a different number of questions in each topic (the number is not made public) the topics each affect the final mark differently. For this reason, taking a simple average of the topic percentages will not produce the correct final mark.
CONVERSION ESTIMATES
The ITA did not record apprenticeship time by-the-hour before 2006. If you had an active apprenticeship when the ITA switched to by-the-hour reporting, (Feb 01 2006) you will have a Work Based Training result with the sponsor name ‘Conversion Estimate’. This was a one-time pro-rated grant of hours based on how many months your apprenticeship was active prior to this date. Conversion Estimates count towards your hours total just like actual reported hours. The ITA will not grant new Conversion Estimates for any reason.
MISSING HOURS
If you have hours with past employers that do not appear (as reported hours or as a Conversion Estimate) you may report these using the Prior Work Based Training Credit Application for your trade. To get this form online, select your trade from the Apprenticeship and Red Seal Program Listings. Your current registered sponsor must also sign-off on the past hours.
Certifications
Credentials issued by the ITA are listed here. If your certificate was issued recently, please allow two to three weeks for mailing. Apprentices please note: All apprenticeship certificates will be mailed to your sponsoring employer.
The main types of certifications are:
CERTIFICATE OF APPRENTICESHIP (also known as ‘CofA’)
Issued upon completion of an apprenticeship. Currently all apprentices (except Gasfitters) are also issued a Certificate of Qualification upon apprenticeship completion. Historical apprentices may have only a CofA, depending on the program standard in the year of issue, and whether they opted to write the Certificate of Qualification exam.
CERTIFICATE OF QUALIFICATION (also known as ‘CofQ’ or ‘TQ’ / ‘Trades Qualification’)
Issued to apprentices upon completion, and to individuals who have successfully challenged a Certificate of Qualification exam.
ENDORSEMENTS
Endorsements are attachments to Certificates of Qualification and/or Certificates of Apprenticeship that indicate a specific achievement or specialization. Endorsements each have a unique certificate number, but are not stand-alone credentials. An Interprovincial Red Seal endorsement indicates that a certified tradesworker has also passed their trade’s IP exam. Some trades have multiple program endorsements available that indicate a tradesworker is qualified in a specialty area within the trade.
OTHER CREDENTIALS
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION (also known as ‘CofC’)
A credential awarded by the ITA to trainees who have successfully completed the requirements of a Foundation Industry Training Program. A CofC typically grants the holder credit for the first level of apprenticeship technical training, and a standard (by trade) number of hours. Check your program transcript in the Registrations tab to see how these credits apply to your apprenticeship.
EQUIVALENCY (also known as ‘Sign Off Authority’)
A special identification number issued to a non-certified tradesworker by the ITA through a formal assessment of prior related work experience in a trade. It is not a form of certification, but rather authorizes the holder to supervise and recommend apprentices for certification in the applicable trade. Equivalency status is not to be considered comparable to an ITA trade certification, and is not recognized by any party other than the ITA.
EXEMPTION PERMITS
Exemptions were ITA-issued alternatives to certificates issued by BC during the mid 1990s to enable practicing tradesworkers to continue working legally when their trade became compulsory. The ITA no longer issues Exemption Permits, but tradesworkers holding one may sign-off apprentices in their trade.