Military to Civilian Career Transitioning

With thousands of military members transitioning out of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) each year, the need to establish a career on the civilian side of things will present itself for many of them.

Fortunately, many resources and tools are available to assist CAF members as they shift into the realm of civilian occupations.

For starters, in British Columbia, particularly, transferring to a civilian trade is fairly simple for certain military trades like Vehicle Technician, Marine Engineering Technician, Hull Technician, and Electrical Technician.

For trades like these, members/veterans can provide their Military Trade Certification to the ITA BC. Furthermore, along with proof of a Military ranking at QL5 (minimum), they can avoid needing to complete a Certification Challenge Package to obtain Red Seal certification.

See the complete list of trades and information here.


For other military trades, the route can be trickier to navigate and may require assistance from the Canadian Armed Forces Military to Civilian (MCT) – Digital Transition Centre.

This provides members with comprehensive guidance and also allows them to transition into a different CAF occupation (vice civilian). Moreover, it covers translating military qualifications and experiences into their civilian equivalents, as well as detailing how to book an appointment with a Transition Advisor.


Other helpful resources include:

Canadian Armed Forces Transition Group

Canadian Armed Forces Career Transition Services

Career Transitions Services Program (Veterans)

Helmets to Hardhats


Red Seal recognizes the substantial knowledge and experience that former military personnel possess, and continues to support them when searching for new career opportunities.

We post new jobs from our clients weekly, and encourage people with military backgrounds to reach out to us directly!

Check out our job board here.


Check out more Recruiting Tips and Resources on our blog here!


Red Seal Recruiting Solutions has a wide variety of services to help you find the best employees. See how we can help on our Recruiting Solutions page.

Kael Campbell: