BC plumber Red Seal exams now follow the 2023 occupational standard

What the notice says

The direct answer: a new exam, built on a newer description of the trade, started in BC in spring 2025.

The SkilledTradesBC update, addressed to training providers and school districts running youth trades programs, made three points:

• Plumber IP exams aligned to the 2023 RSOS were implemented as of April 25, 2025.
• Candidates receive a copy of the National Plumbing Code of Canada 2020 for the exam.
• A revised IP table and a comparison of sub-task changes from the previous standard are posted on the SkilledTradesBC plumber trade page.

The notice explains that Red Seal exam questions are written by certified tradespeople and instructors, edited, translated and peer-reviewed, and designed to test the sub-tasks in the most recent occupational standard.

Why occupational standards matter to an employer

An occupational standard is the national definition of what a plumber does. When it changes, so does the content of training and exams.

The Red Seal Program is the interprovincial standard of excellence for the skilled trades, administered by the provinces and territories. A Red Seal endorsement tells a customer, or another employer, that a tradesperson met the national standard. Through its harmonization initiative, the program also works toward consistent trade names, training hours, numbers of training levels and sequencing of training content, based on the latest standard.

For a plumbing company with apprentices, the change means:

1. Prep material needs to match. Practice questions built on the old standard may cover tasks in a different way.
2. Exam timing matters. Apprentices close to writing should check with SkilledTradesBC which version applies to them.
3. Code edition matters. The exam supplies the NPC 2020. The 2025 National Plumbing Code has been published, but exams and provincial codes move on their own schedules.

Questions apprentices are likely to ask you

When an exam changes, apprentices turn to the most experienced person in the shop. Having straight answers ready saves time and anxiety.

• "Which exam will I get?" The notice is clear: anyone writing a plumber IP exam through SkilledTradesBC on or after April 25, 2025 gets the version aligned to the 2023 standard. By late 2026, that is everyone writing in BC.
• "Which code book do I use?" The notice says candidates receive the National Plumbing Code of Canada 2020.
• "What exactly changed in the tasks?" SkilledTradesBC posts a comparison of sub-task changes on its plumber trade page. Point apprentices there rather than relying on memory.
• "Do I need to retake training?" The notice is about the exam; questions about technical training belong with the training provider or SkilledTradesBC.

Encourage apprentices to read the standard itself. It is the clearest description of what a certified plumber is expected to know, and reading it is useful preparation in its own right.

Red Seal on your website: say it accurately

Certification is one of the few trust signals a plumbing company can state as a plain fact. It is also easy to overstate.

If your plumbers hold Red Seal endorsements, say so specifically: "our service plumbers are Red Seal certified" is a claim you can back up; "fully certified team" is vague and invites questions. Keep a list of who holds which ticket so the office can answer a customer who asks. Never put a Red Seal logo or wording on a page in a way that suggests the program endorses your business. It certifies people, not companies.

Under Canada's Competition Act, claims made to promote a business must not be false or misleading in their general impression, which is a good test for any credentials line. Our story on environmental and performance claims covers how that applies to "eco" and efficiency wording too.

Recruiting is marketing too

A tight labour market makes apprentice recruitment part of a plumbing company's marketing. Statistics Canada's latest apprenticeship release, which we summarised in apprentice numbers for 2024, credited plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters with helping drive BC's certification growth.

Practical things that help:

• A careers page that explains how your company supports apprentices through technical training and exams, in your own words.
• Photos and short videos of real crews on real jobs, with permission, rather than stock images.
• Clear pay and progression information where you can share it.

Our BC page collects the regulators and programs relevant to plumbing companies in the province. For help with recruitment pages or your wider marketing, see our services.