Are you new to Canada and looking for a career in the skilled trades? Our Accelerated Trades Entry program can help you figure out where to start. It's as simple as taking an assessment to determine which program best fits your goals and experience level.
To qualify for the program, you must have one of the following Immigration statuses:
Permanent residency
Refugee with a confirmation letter
Ukrainian Citizens Living as Temporary Residents in Canada with CUAET Visa
Post-Graduation Work Permit
Before you complete the assessment, you will also need to have completed your Canadian Language Benchmark and have a NAIT Student ID.
The assessment is free to complete, and once your results are calculated a meeting will be called to explain your outcomes and next steps.
Take the assessment
NAIT is pleased to offer the Accelerated Trade Entry program in partnership with the Government of Alberta. This pre-apprenticeship program will support newcomers and under-represented Albertans interested in apprenticeship training while reducing the cultural, financial and language barriers to enter the skilled trades workforce.
After completing the assessment, we will schedule a meeting to go over your results. We'll recommend one of three paths to move forward based on your current knowledge and experience. These options include: apprenticeship, pre-employment courses or improving your language and workplace skills.
Depending on the results of your assessment, you may move on to registering for the Apprenticeship and Industry Training Exam which will allow you to register with NAIT’s School of Skilled Trades and continue toward your goal of a career in the skilled trades.
Use this checklist to guide your apprenticeship application process.
Depending on the results of your assessment, you may be encouraged to complete some trade-specific upskilling courses such as:
Refrigeration & HVAC Mechanic Job Readiness (RACM702)
Introduction to Trades Safety (TRDE110)
Introduction to Trades Math (TRDE120)
Introduction to Technical Draw (TRDE130)
These courses aim to help you build a strong pre-trades foundation before registering for the Apprenticeship and Industry Training Exam.
Need a little help becoming an apprentice? Our Pre-Apprenticeship courses can give you the trade-specific upskilling you need to get to the next step.
Depending on the results of your assessment, you may be encouraged to complete our ESP Program to upgrade your reading comprehension and applied math skills before taking on more trade-specific courses such as trades safety, technical drawing, small tools and trades math. These courses aim to help you build a strong pre-trades foundation before registering for the Apprenticeship and Industry Training Exam.
Learn more about NAIT's ESL program and what makes it different from other English skill programs.
Before you apply, you must:
1. Be one or more of the following:
Have an English language proficiency test result with proof:
Have a NAIT ID
If you are new to NAIT, we recommend creating a NAIT account on the MyNAIT portal. When you are asked for a NAIT ID number, leave the space blank if you have not attended or applied to NAIT before, and our system will generate a new Student ID for you.
Complete the Accelerated Trades Entry Assessment
Take the ATE (TRDE100) assessment to determine the pathway into trades that is right for you
The online assessment is free.
Once you complete the assessment, the program ambassador will contact you to recommend the right pathway based on your score.
Following the review of your assessment results, if you register in a course you'll be offered a tuition supplement of $900.
Email us at continuingeducation@nait.ca
Find out more information about Apprenticeship program at NAIT.
Check out the list of Apprenticeship courses at NAIT