Overview
In Saskatchewan, if you are 14 or 15 years old and able to work, you must do the following before starting to work:
- Complete the Young Worker Readiness Certificate Course and obtain a Certificate of Completion,
- Provide your employer with a copy of your Certificate of Completion, and
- Provide your employer with proof of age and written consent from a parent or guardian.
Employers are required to keep a copy of the young worker’s Certificate of Completion,
proof of age, and consent from a parent or guardian on file.
If you are 14 or 15 years old and have completed the Young Worker Readiness Certificate Course, you will also need to be aware of the employment standard restrictions for 14 and 15-year-olds, which include:
- You cannot work after 10 p.m. the night before a school day,
- You cannot work before classes begin on a school day, and
- You cannot work more than 16 hours in a school week.
During school breaks such as Christmas holidays or summer vacation, these restrictions do not apply and you can work the same hours as other employees. However, all other employment standards apply to you.
There are also industries where you can and cannot work if you are under 18 years old. See Minimum Age and Workplace Restrictions for Young Workers.
Course benefits
The Young Worker Readiness Certificate Course will help prepare you for joining the job market for the first time. You will learn workplace health and safety and minimum legislation (for example, for safety, pay and hours of work) you and your employer must follow. You will also learn about workplace rights and responsibilities for employees and employers and where to go for help.
How to take the course
To complete the Young Worker Readiness Certificate Course and obtain a Certificate of Completion, please register here: Young Worker Readiness Certificate Course
To complete the Young Worker Readiness course online, you must:
- Have access to an up-to-date desktop or laptop computer with audio. The course can also be taken using a tablet. Please be aware that if you try to take the course on your smartphone, all of the content may not be compatible. While the course may work on some smartphones, we recommend using a tablet, desktop or laptop computer for best results.
- Ensure that your computer has the following technology:
- Up-to-date internet browser. We recommend Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.
- Access to the internet.
- Acrobat Reader
- You must have a current and working email address to create your SkillsPass* account.
*What is SkillsPass:
SkillsPass is a free, secure online system that tracks your training and certification with WorkSafe Saskatchewan. In addition, you can access and share all of your training and certification with current and future employers, training providers and site inspectors 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The SkillsPass platform was created by Bluedrop and exceeds the highest government standards or privacy and data security. SkillsPass delivers and validates sills and credentials across multi-stakeholder environments.
Once you have all of the technical requirements, you must:
- Click the link Take the Young Worker Readiness Certificate Course.
- Decide if you would like to take the high bandwidth or low bandwidth version of the course. The low bandwidth version is recommended for slower internet connections.
- Create a SkillsPass account and register for the course. You can logout and return to the course where you left off by logging back into the course using your account information.
- Complete the three course modules.
- Complete each of the three module tests with a mark of 75 per cent or higher in order to receive a Certificate of Completion.
To obtain your certificate:
- Log in to the Worker Passport.
- If you don’t know your password, click the “Forgot Password” option. You will receive a password reset email. Please remember to check your “Junk” email folder if the reset email does not arrive.
- Once logged in, select the My Certificates menu to view your certificate. Note: your certificate will remain in your SkillsPass account and will always be available to you if you need a copy.
- Select the “…” menu then select “Download” to download/print your certificate
- If you run into any trouble, contact our online technical help at worksafesask@skillspass.com
If you cannot take the course online, you can complete the Young Worker Readiness Certificate Course using a paper and pencil version. To obtain a copy of the Young Worker Readiness Certificate Course Guide and Workbook, and exam, please contact WorkSafe Saskatchewan: TEPCoordinator@wcbsask.com or 1.306.933.7885.
Information for educators
If you are an educator administering the course in your classroom, it is recommended you use the online version of the course.
Each student will need:
- A computer or tablet with an up-to-date browser,
- Headphones, if the device speakers can’t be used,
- Access to a printer, and
- A current email address to create their SkillsPass account.
Important:
If your students are taking the course at school, please check with your IT support service to ensure the SkillsPass website and confirmation email address are whitelisted as safe with your school’s firewall security. Each student will need to create a SkillsPass account and login to the course. Once a SkillsPass account has been created, your students will be able to register for the course, take the course, write the tests and obtain their certificates.
The Young Worker Readiness Certificate Course is separated into three modules:
- Understanding the world of work
- Workplace health and safety (Occupational Health and Safety)
- Rules for fairness at work (Employment Standards)
The first module is an introduction to the world of work. Modules two and three focus on the rights and responsibilities of employees and employers under Part II – Employment Standards and Part III – Occupational Health and Safety in The Saskatchewan Employment Act. Throughout the course, students will be actively engaged through the use of videos, interactive course activities, quizzes, animations and workplace scenarios. At any time throughout the course, students can log off and then log back in to resume where they left off. Students can also login and finish the course at home if unable to complete during class time.
The course will take approximately two to three hours to complete. Students must complete an exam after completing each module in order to advance to the next module and obtain a completion certificate.
Students must obtain a mark of 75 per cent or higher on the module tests in order to receive their certificate. If they do not pass the tests, they can take the tests again.
If you do not have the resources (for example, access to internet, a computer, or tablet) to administer the course using the online version, a paper and pencil version is available.
To use the paper and pencil version within your classroom:
- Download and print the Young Worker Readiness Certificate Course Guide and Workbook.
- Please contact WorkSafe Saskatchewan at TEPCoordinator@wcbsask.com or call 1.306.933.7885 to request the test(s) be emailed to you. Please ensure to advise us how many copies of the tests you will require. All tests are different to ensure copying of the tests cannot occur.
- Have students complete the guide and workbook.
- Have students complete the paper exam.
- Return completed exams by email to: TEPCoordinator@wcbsask.com. Please be sure that the students include their first and last name and a working email address for their certificate.
- A Certificate of Completion will be sent to each student who receives 75 per cent or higher on the test.
- For students who do not pass the test, WorkSafe Saskatchewan will send a notice advising that the student will need to retake the test.
Ready to take the Young Worker Readiness Certificate Course?
If you do not receive a confirmation email after creating your account, please check your junk mail or spam folder. Before contacting us, we advise teachers and students to check with their network administrator to see if their confirmation email was blocked by the school’s security system. For assistance with course account concerns, contact worksafesask@skillspass.com. Also, remember to check the spelling of the email address used to set up the account.
