Saskatchewan Provincial Apprenticeship Accreditation System
Apprenticeship accreditation is a process by which those responsible for apprenticeship in a province or territory evaluates and recognizes training programs as being equivalent to the formal instruction and/or on-the-job training components of an apprenticeship program.
Two main purposes of apprenticeship accreditation are to assure students, employers and the public that training programs meet or exceed established standards and to facilitate the granting of credit to prospective apprentices who have successfully completed accredited training programs. Accreditation also provides an auditing mechanism independent of the training system, and provides guideline for the improvement of training and the development of future programs to meet the needs of industry.
To be accredited, a training program should meet the following general criteria:
- The training curriculum should be equivalent to the apprenticeship training curriculum for one or more level of technical training.
- The instructors who deliver the training should be qualified/certified and competent in the latest technology and trends in industry.
- The facilities and equipment used to deliver the training should be appropriate to fully deliver the trade related curriculum.
- The training program should be subject to review on a regular basis.
Usually it is the members of provincial/territorial industry Trade Boards and representatives of the apprenticeship agency who are responsible for evaluating and determining if training is eligible for accreditation.