Understanding Apprenticeship Wage Rates

Overview

The apprentice minimum wage rates—and all other training and certification requirements—in each apprenticeship trade are set out in the regulation for that trade. Trade regulations are law. To view your trade regulation, or other apprenticeship training and certification legislation, please view the Government of Manitoba Acts & Regulations

Wage rates specified in regulation are minimum rates; employers are free to pay a wage higher than the regulated minimum wage.

Apprentice minimum wage rates in each apprenticeship trade, (like all regulated apprenticeship training requirements), are established by the Apprenticeship and Certification Board (the Board) on the advice of Provincial Advisory Committees (PACs).

The Board and PACs endeavour to establish apprentice minimum wage rates that ensure that the apprentice, as he/she progresses through the levels of apprenticeship towards certification, is paid a gradually increasing proportion of the wage rate that a typical journeyperson in that trade might be paid.

Provincial Wage Rates

For most trades, the apprentice minimum wage is expressed as a percentage above the provincial minimum wage. In all trades, the minimum wage rates for first level apprentices are higher than the provincial minimum wage.

Calculating your wage rate:
When a trade regulation states that the minimum wage for a Level 1 Agricultural Equipment Technician apprentice is 150 per cent of provincial minimum wage, you:

Multiply the October 1, 2010 of $9.50/hour (or October 1, 2011 of $10.00/hour) provincial minimum wage rate by 150 per cent or 1.5

$9.50  X 1.5 =  $14.25

The wage rate is $14.25 per hour

Provincial Minimum Wage Table

Construction Industry Wage Rates (CIWA)

Wages for most journeypersons working in the construction sector are regulated by the Construction Industry Wages Act (CIWA). The Apprenticeship and Certification Board and PAC use these wage rates as the basis for apprentice minimum wage rates in most apprenticeship trades in the construction sector. In these trade regulations, the apprentice minimum wage rate is expressed as a percentage of the “prevailing journeyperson rate”. The “prevailing journeyperson rate” is defined to mean the rate specified by CIWA regulations.

On March 6, 2008, Manitoba Labour and Immigration registered an amendment to the Construction Industry Minimum Wage Regulation 56/2008 that provides a new integrated journeyperson wage rate that applies to all of Manitoba (‘Manitoba Rate’). It should be noted that this removes the separate wage rates for the Winnipeg area and major construction projects and rural areas. 

Calculating your wage rate:
When a trade regulation states that the minimum wage for a Level 1 Steamfitter – Pipefitter apprentice is 40 per cent of the prevailing journeyperson wage, you:

Multiply the prevailing journeyperson wage rate (e.g.$31.60 /hour in Winnipeg/Major Construction) by 40 per cent or 0.4.

$31.60  X 0.4 = $12.64

The wage rate is $12.64  per hour

Construction Industry Wage Table

If you have questions about the CIWA, journeyperson wage rates or the Employment Standards Code, contact:
Employment Standards Branch
Manitoba Labour and Immigration
604 – 401 York Avenue
Winnipeg MB R3C 0P8
945-3352 or 1-800-821-4307 Toll-Free (in Manitoba)
www.manitoba.ca/labour/standards

Electrical Trade Wage Table

Industrial Electrician

Apprentice minimum wage rates for Industrial Electricians are expressed as a percentage of the journeyperson’s wage rate working for that employer at that work location.

Calculating your wage rate:
The Industrial Electrician trade regulation states that the minimum wage for a Level 1 apprentice is 40 per cent of the “prescribed journeyperson wage,” and the regulation defines “prescribed journeyperson wage” to mean the wage of a journeyperson who is working for the same employer on the same site as the apprentice.

The apprentice minimum wage rate will vary from employer to employer, depending on the journeyperson rate paid by that employer.

Multiply the prescribed journeyperson age rate by 40 per cent or 0.4.

Wage (per hour) X 0.4 = the regulated apprentice minimum wage/hour

Construction Electrician

Construction sector journeypersons in all trades who are working on work sites that are regulated by the Construction Industry Wages Act (CIWA) have their minimum wages set by a regulation under the CIWA.

In most of the construction sector apprenticeship trades, the Apprenticeship and Certification Board has based apprentice minimum wage rates on the CIWA journeyperson wage.

However, Construction Electricians may work in construction industry, in which case their wages are regulated under the CIWA; or in house building, maintenance, or service, in which case their wages are not regulated by the CIWA.

Accordingly, apprentice Construction Electricians who work in construction have minimum wages expressed as a percentage of the CIWA journeyperson rate; apprentice Construction Electrician apprentices who work in house building, maintenance, or service have their minimum wages expressed as a percentage of the rate paid to the journeyperson working for the same employer at the same site as the apprentice.

Calculating your CIWA-based wage rate:
The Construction Electrician trade regulation states that the minimum wage for a Level 1 apprentice is 40 per cent of the “reference wage rate”, and defines “reference wage rate” as the journeyperson electrician wage established under the CIWA.

Multiply the reference wage rate ($31.95 /hour) by 40 per cent or 0.4.

$31.95  X 0.4 =  $12.78

The wage rate is  $12.78 per hour

For more information on calculating CIWA wages, please refer to the section on Construction Industry Wage Rates.

Calculating your non-CIWA-based wage rate:
(house building, maintenance, service)
The Construction Electrician trade regulation states that the minimum wage for a Level 1 apprentice is 40 per cent of the “reference journeyperson wage,” when the work site is not regulated by the CIWA. The “reference journeyperson wage” means the rate paid to the journeyperson working for the same employer on the same site as the apprentice.

The apprentice minimum wage rate will vary from employer to employer, depending on the journeyperson rate paid by that employer.

Multiply the prescribed journeyperson wage rate by 40 per cent or 0.4

Wage (per hour) X 0.4 = the regulated apprentice minimum wage/hour

Note: No apprentice shall be paid less than 110% for Level 1, 120% for Level 2, 130% for Level 3 and 140% for Level 4 of the current provincial minimum wage.

Electrical Trade Wage Table

If you have questions about the CIWA, journeyperson wage rates or the
Employment Standards Code, contact:
Employment Standards Branch
Manitoba Labour and Immigration
604 – 401 York Avenue
Winnipeg MB R3C 0P8
945-3352 or 1-800-821-4307 Toll-Free (in Manitoba)
www.manitoba.ca/labour/standards

Hybrid Trade Wage Rates

Some trades rely on a combination of Provincial Minimum Wage and Construction Industry Wage percentages to arrive at an apprentice minimum wage.  These trades currently include Carpenter, Lather (Interior Systems Mechanic) and Painter and Decorator. For these trades, please refer to both the Provincial Minimum Wage Table and the Construction Industry Wage Rates to determine when each wage rate applies.

A hybrid trade can also include trades involved in the construction industry that are usually covered by CIWA. However, if they are engaged in house building, maintenance or service work on a specific job site they are excluded from CIWA. For construction trades where CIWA does not apply, apprentices are to be paid a minimum percentage of the prevailing wage rate paid to a journeyperson who is employed on the same contract or job as the apprentice. The minimum percentage per level is still the same for the trade as outlined in the Construction Industry Wages Table but the wage rate depends on the prevailing journeyperson wage rate on the specific job site. Examples of these trades include Sheet Metal Worker (SMW), Roofer, Steamfitter- Pipefitter and Plumber. 

All trades, regardless of the set wages within the Trade Regulation, must meet the bare minimum wage prescription contained in the Apprenticeship General Regulation which states that all first level apprentices must make 110% of provincial minimum wage, with increases of 10% for each level thereafter.

If a separate wage prescription (e.g.: a wage prescribed under the Construction Industry Minimum Wages Act), is less than the provincial minimum wage progression described in the General Regulation, the apprentice must be paid the higher of the two wages.

Hybrid Trade Wage Table