Paying for Your Apprenticeship

Unlike other post-secondary students, an apprentice has the benefit of being able to collect employment insurance while in apprenticeship education classes.

Apply for employment insurance online no more than seven days before your last day of work. Apprentices should consult Service Canada, Employment Insurance for Apprentices, or 1.800.206.7218 for further details.

You will need an employment insurance reference code to access the apprentice application form. Please get in touch with the Office of the Registrar for this information.

Be aware that you may not receive employment insurance payments for as long as four to six weeks after you start classes — plan to have alternative financial arrangements in place during this time.

Apprentices registered in a Red Seal trade may be eligible for up to:

• $4,000 in loans per period of apprenticeship education
• five funded periods of apprenticeship education
• six years of interest-free status.

Find out more about Canada Apprenticeship Loans.

Registered apprentices through AIT can apply for an Alberta Student loan if they are in a designated apprenticeship education program and have been an Alberta resident for 12 months or longer. 

An award of $1,500 is available to apprentices unemployed in their trade for at least 30 consecutive days before their training period and attending second, third, or fourth-year apprenticeship education at an approved training provider.

Make sure your information is up-to-date in MyTradesecrets.

Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training offers over 250 awards of $1,000 and $1,500 to apprentices annually. Find out what scholarships you may be eligible for.

We offer many student awards in support of SAIT apprentices. Find out what awards you could be eligible for.

Sponsored students are those for whom tuition and fees will be paid directly to SAIT by a department of the federal government of Canada, a department of the Province of Alberta, an Aboriginal band, or by a business or organization.

How do I get started?

1. Meet with your sponsor to arrange sponsorship agreement details.
2. Submit a SAIT application form with complete transcripts and the application fee. If the sponsor is paying for the application fee, a company letter indicating the billing address and/or a purchase order must also be included.
3. Submit a sponsorship letter to the Office of the Registrar after you have been accepted into the program. The letter must indicate the company would like to register as your sponsor and confirm in writing the terms for your sponsorship, such as the amount of tuition your sponsor will cover, the semester (time period) covered, and a contact number and billing address. A signed purchase order for services may be provided in lieu of a sponsorship letter. Do not include books and supply costs in the sponsorship letter — your sponsor should do this online. Note: The sponsorship will need to be renewed each term with a new sponsor letter or purchase order.
4. Request that your sponsor contact the SAIT Bookstore at T.Koslowski@follett.com if they are covering the cost of your books and supplies. This is applicable if you are picking up your materials at the SAIT Bookstore or if you are ordering online.

Your sponsor will be invoiced in accordance with the conditions of the sponsorship agreement. Invoices are payable 30 days from the date of the invoice. Sponsor invoices not paid within the net 30-day term may be cancelled by SAIT, and you'll be required to pay their outstanding fees or withdraw from your program.

Your sponsor may cancel their sponsorship via written notice 30 days before your course or program start date. Cancellations by either the sponsor or student are subject to the terms and conditions contained within SAIT’s administration policies, including cancellation fees.

A change in sponsorship resulting in a refund will be issued by cheque to the sponsor’s address on file.