Free tool · Canada · 5 minutes

Apprenticeship cost planner: what will trade school actually cost you?

Pick your trade, enter your own costs for tuition, living expenses, and what you expect from EI — and the planner shows your per-school-block breakdown, the funding you can actually claim today, and the net cost of getting to your ticket. Your numbers stay in your browser; nothing is sent anywhere.

1. Which trade?

2. Your school blocks

Number of in-school blocks

Weeks per block

Defaults match the Ontario program for the trade above. Your province or school may differ — adjust to your offer letter.

3. Your costs (enter your own figures)

Tuition + fees per block ($)

Books, tools and gear — one-time total ($)

Living expenses while in school, per month ($)

Rent, food, transport for the school months. Use your real budget — this is usually the biggest line.

4. Your funding

Weekly EI benefit while in school ($ — enter 0 if you will not claim)

Apprentices can claim Employment Insurance during full-time technical training. You need 420 to 700 hours of insurable work, a 16-digit reference code from your province or training institution, and one waiting period covers your whole apprenticeship. Check your figure in My Service Canada Account.

I am a registered apprentice in a Red Seal trade — include the Canada Apprentice Loan

Up to $4,000 per period of technical training, lifetime maximum $20,000, interest-free while you stay registered. Not available in Quebec, where alternate support exists.

5. Payback check (optional)

Your current apprentice wage ($/hour)

Usual hours per week

Compares your wage with the national median journeyperson wage for the trade — a very rough payback estimate, not a promise.

Next step: read the full step-by-step guide: Apprenticeship Financial Support in Canada 2026: Canada Apprentice Loan, EI During School, and What Replaced the Closed Grants

Apprenticeship cost planner: what will trade school actually cost you?

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