Alberta · Apprentice services
Employment Insurance
This page keeps the requirements and topics named on the public Tradesecrets page. It is not the official site, and it does not replace a form, an exam booking, or a decision by Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training.
Checked 4 October 2026. Tradesecrets and the Government of Alberta do not endorse TradesAtlas.
- Source
- Tradesecrets page
- Last checked
- 4 October 2026
- Employment Insurance may be available to apprentices through the Government of Canada.
Information for Apprentices
- You might be eligible for employment insurance while you're off work to attend classroom instruction .
- To be considered for EI benefits while attending classroom instruction, you must: classroom instruction
- continue working until the Friday before your classes start
- receive a Record of Employment indicating that you are leaving the workplace temporarily to participate in a government-approved apprenticeship training program
- Apply as soon as you stop working.
- If you have applied for, or are receiving EI benefits prior to classroom instruction, you must complete another application indicating your classroom instruction information.
- Apprentices are required to provide complete and accurate information, as requested by Service Canada.
- For more information
- call 1-800-206-7218 (in Alberta)
- visit Employment Insurance for Apprentices Employment Insurance for Apprentices
Reference Code for Alberta Apprentices
- During the EI application process, apprentices need a Reference Code.
- Find the code in your class registration letter, which you'll receive in your MyTradesecrets account after you register for classroom instruction. MyTradesecrets
- To view the letter, they click on theEnvelope icon in the top right corner of the screen, then click Classes in the Notification column.
- The class registration letter opens up as a PDF.
- The Reference Code for Alberta Apprentices is 2/3 of the way down the body of the letter.
Information for Employers
- Provide your apprentice a Record of Employment for their Employment Insurance Application.
- To receive Employment Insurance (EI) while off work to attend classroom instruction, your apprentice must provide a Record of Employment (ROE) issued to them in the past 52 weeks.
- Make sure your apprentice gets an ROE from you as soon as possible after their last day of work
- Apprentices must continue working until the Friday before their classes start to be eligible for EI.
- Learn how to complete the ROE on Canada.ca
- The apprentice can apply for EI before the ROE is ready
- They will not be paid until the ROE is received
- Apprentices who wish to have time off for personal reasons prior to classes may not be eligible for EI benefits.
- This is because they chose not to work, which means they left the workforce on their own.
- If your apprentice wants to stop working before the Friday before their classroom training starts, the reason for leaving on the ROE reflect this.