Designate a Trade

Designate a Trade

The Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency (Agency) Board has the authority to designate an occupation as a trade under the Apprenticeship and Trades Qualifications Act. Once a trade is designated the Agency works with industry to develop standards for the trade, a training pathway, certification and other products related to the trade.

Industry can make a formal request to the Agency Board to designate a trade under the Apprenticeship and Trades Qualifications Act. Any representative within an industry can submit an application to designate a trade. The application is a common Atlantic Application Package for the Designation of Voluntary and Compulsory Trades. The application can be specific to one of the Atlantic Provinces or it can apply to all Atlantic Provinces. All applications must include detailed information on key aspects of the proposed designation and the supporting industry.

Once the application has been submitted to the Board Administrator, it will be reviewed by the Agency Board, who may establish a Trade Advisory Committee (TAC) to review the application, consult with the broader industry and make a recommendation back to the Agency Board. The Agency Board will make a decision on the recommendation, inform the applicant and the TAC, and communicate to the broader industry.

 Please email the Board Administrator to receive the application form and discuss the application process.