How to Become a Plumber Apprentice in Manitoba
Manitoba's plumber apprenticeship: four levels and 7,200 hours, RRC Polytech training, voluntary status, fees, wages, and the Red Seal exam.
How to Become a Plumber Apprentice in Prince Edward Island
Becoming a plumber apprentice in Prince Edward Island: eligibility, the Holland College block training, logbook hours, and the Red Seal exam.
Applies in: Prince Edward Island
This guide covers the apprenticeship route into plumbing in Prince Edward Island: registration, logbook hours, block training, and certification. It is not a guide to hiring a plumber. What a plumber charges in Prince Edward Island, including rates, permits, and common job costs, is a different question, answered in the cost guide linked below. Plumber is a compulsory certified trade on the Island, so the apprenticeship or a certificate of qualification is the way into paid work in the trade, and the route runs through the Apprenticeship Section of the Department of Workforce, Advanced Learning and Population.
Step 1: Confirm eligibility and find a suitable employer
You are eligible to apply if you have reached the age of 18 within the calendar year of registering as an apprentice, excluding youth apprentices and mature student entrants, hold a high school completion certificate or equivalent such as a GED, and are working at a designated skilled trade with a suitable employer. Find the employer first: the program combines on-the-job training with a qualified tradesperson, at 80 percent, and classroom training at a training establishment, at 20 percent. If you want credit for high school trade courses, submit a copy of your high school transcript, and for post-secondary courses that may be eligible, submit a copy of your graduation certificate from the post-secondary institution. The eligibility rules and the application steps are stated on the Government of Prince Edward Island apprenticeship program page.
Step 2: Complete the three-section application and agreement
The Apprenticeship Application and Agreement has three sections, and all three must be completed. You complete the apprenticeship application section, your employer completes the employer application section, and both of you sign the apprenticeship training agreement section. If you are under age 18, your parent or guardian must also sign that section, and all signatures must be witnessed. Send the completed form and any related documents to the address on the form. Keep a copy of everything you send. If you change employers during the apprenticeship, notify your Apprenticeship Training Officer and have a Transfer of Apprenticeship Agreement form sent for your new employer to sign; do not simply start logging hours under a new employer without that transfer.
Step 3: Work, keep the logbook, and pass the progress examinations
Record the required number of hours for the trade in your logbook. In-school training, also known as block release training, earns credit up to a maximum of 33 percent of the total time required to complete the apprenticeship. Collect all required signatures: a journeyperson must initial all the skills in the logbook, and each skill must be signed off at the level of Performed to Industry Standard. Pass all necessary progress examinations with a mark of 70 percent or higher, then write the Red Seal examination and receive a passing mark of 70 percent or higher. On successful completion you are considered a certified journeyperson of the trade and are awarded a Certificate of Apprenticeship and a Certificate of Qualification with a Red Seal endorsement, or a provincial Certificate of Qualification if the trade is not Red Seal designated. Plumber is a Red Seal trade. Job Bank, for plumbers in Prince Edward Island under NOC 72300, states that completion of a four- to five-year apprenticeship program, or a combination of over five years of work experience and some high school, college, or industry courses, is usually required to be eligible for trade certification.
Step 4: Attend block release training in Georgetown
Most in-school training can be done on the Island and is delivered on behalf of Apprenticeship by Holland College, with three to four levels of training and the number of weeks varying from trade to trade. For plumber, the 2026-2027 schedule lists four blocks in Georgetown, with recommended logbook hours at the start of each block of 1,620 hours for Block 1, 3,240 for Block 2, 4,860 for Block 3, and 6,480 for Block 4. The scheduled weeks are eight for Level 1, six for Level 2, seven for Level 3, and eight for Level 4, but Level 1 is listed as not available for the 2026-2027 training year, so new apprentices should confirm the next available Level 1 sitting with the Apprenticeship Section rather than assuming a Georgetown start. Register early for the class you prefer, check in with your employer before registering, and discuss the schedule with the employer first, since class schedules can change with demand. The schedule, the recommended hours, and the Level 1 position are stated on the 2026-2027 in-school training registration page.
Step 5: Consider the college program, and keep the contractor licence separate
Holland College offers a one-year Plumbing and Pipefitting certificate at the Georgetown Centre, starting in September 2027 as listed, which teaches both trades at once and earns apprenticeship hours in both. The college states that the program enables a graduate to earn 30 hours of apprenticeship time for each week of training and to write the apprenticeship level one examination for both trades. Admission requires Grade 12 or equivalent with credits at or above the general level, plus a resume, and the program accepts mature student applications. Treat this as a pre-apprenticeship head start, not as registration itself: you still register as an apprentice with a suitable employer. Separately, a company conducting plumbing services in Prince Edward Island requires a valid PEI Plumbing Contractor's Licence, and the owner or at least one employee must hold a valid journeyman's certificate in plumbing or a work permit, according to the Government of Prince Edward Island contractors and licensing topic page. The contractor licence is a business licence, not the apprentice route, and a plumbing permit is required before starting most plumbing jobs. The Holland College program page states the program length, credential, admission rule, and apprenticeship credit.
Figures and details not verified
No opened Prince Edward Island page states the total number of hours required for the plumber apprenticeship, a registration or examination fee, a tuition amount for block training, or an apprentice wage rate. The Canada Apprentice Loan is named on the apprenticeship program page, but its current amount and terms are not verified here, so confirm them with the Government of Canada before relying on them. Those figures are cut from this guide rather than borrowed from the Nova Scotia or New Brunswick plumber pages. Confirm the total hours and the current fees with the Apprenticeship Section, at the Charlottetown office on (902) 368-4460 or the Summerside office on (902) 888-8034, as listed on the trade certification page.
Related guides:
- How much does a plumber cost in Prince Edward Island
- How to become a plumber apprentice in Nova Scotia
- How to become a plumber apprentice in Saskatchewan
- How to start a plumbing apprenticeship in Canada
- How to get your Red Seal endorsement in Canada
- Trade Schools & Training Programs in Prince Edward Island — verified trade schools and pre-apprenticeship programs in Prince Edward Island, by trade and city
The Prince Edward Island plumber apprenticeship, step by step
- Check eligibility and find a suitable employerAge 18 within the calendar year of registering, a high school completion certificate or equivalent, and work at a designated trade with a suitable employer
- Complete the three-section applicationApprenticeship application, employer application, and a training agreement signed by apprentice and employer, with all signatures witnessed
- Work and keep the logbookOn-the-job training with a qualified tradesperson at 80 percent and classroom training at 20 percent, with recommended logbook hours of 1,620, 3,240, 4,860, and 6,480 at the start of Blocks 1 to 4
- Attend block release training in GeorgetownPlumber in-school training in Georgetown, at eight, six, seven, and eight weeks for Levels 1 to 4 in the 2026-2027 schedule, with Level 1 not available in that training year
- Pass the progress and Red Seal examinationsProgress examinations at 70 percent or higher, and the Red Seal examination at 70 percent or higher, for the Certificate of Apprenticeship and Certificate of Qualification with Red Seal endorsement
Questions people ask
How is this guide different from the guide on what a plumber costs in Prince Edward Island?
This guide covers the apprenticeship route into the trade: eligibility, registration, logbook hours, block training, and certification. The plumber cost guide covers what hiring a plumber costs a householder, including hourly rates, Charlottetown and Summerside prices, permits, and common job costs. Read this guide to become a plumber, and the cost guide to budget for hiring one. The two questions share a trade name and nothing else.
Who can register as a plumber apprentice in Prince Edward Island?
A person who has reached the age of 18 within the calendar year of registering as an apprentice, excluding youth apprentices and mature student entrants, who holds a high school completion certificate or equivalent such as a GED, and who is working at a designated skilled trade with a suitable employer. The application has three sections: the apprenticeship application completed by the applicant, the employer application completed by the employer, and the apprenticeship training agreement signed by both, with a parent or guardian also signing if the applicant is under 18, and all signatures witnessed.
Is plumber a compulsory trade in Prince Edward Island?
Yes. Job Bank, for plumbers under NOC 72300, states that trade certification is compulsory in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, and available, but voluntary, in Newfoundland and Labrador, Manitoba, British Columbia, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. The regulatory body named for Prince Edward Island is Apprenticeship Training and Skilled Trade Certification, Government of Prince Edward Island. The compulsory list is per trade, so it says nothing about any other trade.
How many hours of training are required in total?
No total hour figure for the plumber apprenticeship is stated on any opened Prince Edward Island page, so none is given here. What the opened pages do state is the shape of the program: 80 percent on-the-job training with a qualified tradesperson and 20 percent classroom training, three to four levels of training, in-school training credit up to a maximum of 33 percent of the total time, and recommended logbook hours of 1,620, 3,240, 4,860, and 6,480 at the start of Blocks 1 to 4. Confirm the total required hours with the Apprenticeship Section before planning a finish date.
Where does the in-school training happen, and what about Level 1?
Most in-school training on Prince Edward Island is delivered on behalf of Apprenticeship by Holland College, and plumber training in the 2026-2027 schedule is delivered in Georgetown. The schedule lists Plumber Level 1 as not available for the 2026-2027 training year, at eight weeks, with Level 2 at six weeks, Level 3 at seven weeks, and Level 4 at eight weeks. Apprentices who will have the recommended hours at the start of class should register early, and those without them may still be enrolled with priority given to those who do. If training is not available on the Island, apprentices take it through New Brunswick or Nova Scotia colleges, with the Apprenticeship Section requesting the seats.
Does the Holland College Plumbing and Pipefitting program count toward the apprenticeship?
It can give a head start, but it is a separate college program, not the apprenticeship itself. Holland College states that the one-year Plumbing and Pipefitting certificate enables a graduate to earn 30 hours of apprenticeship time for each week of training and to write the apprenticeship level one exam for both trades, plumber and steamfitter or pipefitter. Admission to the college program requires Grade 12 or equivalent with credits at or above the general level, which is a college admission rule, not the apprenticeship eligibility rule. Confirm how much credit your own record earns with the Apprenticeship Section.
Sources
- Government of Prince Edward Island, Apprenticeship Program — the 80 percent and 20 percent split, eligibility, the three-section application and agreement, Holland College delivery, three to four levels, the 33 percent in-school credit limit, logbook sign-off, the 70 percent progress and Red Seal marks, and the certificates awarded.
- Government of Prince Edward Island, 2026-2027 Online Registration for Apprenticeship In-school Training — the recommended logbook hours of 1,620, 3,240, 4,860, and 6,480, the Georgetown plumber levels and weeks, Level 1 not available in the 2026-2027 training year, and off-Island training through New Brunswick or Nova Scotia colleges.
- Government of Prince Edward Island, Trade Certification — the three routes to a Certificate of Qualification, the designated trades list reference, the compulsory certified trade rule, and the Charlottetown and Summerside Apprenticeship Office contacts.
- Holland College, Plumbing / Pipefitting — the one-year certificate, Georgetown Centre, Grade 12 admission rule, and the 30 hours of apprenticeship time per week of training plus the level one examination for both trades.
- Government of Prince Edward Island, Contractors, Trades and Equipment Licensing — the PEI Plumbing Contractor's Licence requirement, the journeyman certificate or work permit condition, and the plumbing permit requirement.
- Job Bank, Plumber in Prince Edward Island — Job requirements — NOC 72300 employment requirements, the compulsory list including Prince Edward Island, the Red Seal endorsement, and Apprenticeship Training and Skilled Trade Certification as the regulatory body.