About Coded Trades
The study guide we wish we’d had.
Coded Trades is an independent study course for the Red Seal plumbing exam. It’s open all year, it costs a fraction of a week in a classroom, and it was built on the code by people who sat the exam themselves.
Why we exist
The ticket shouldn’t be the hard part.
Until you hold a Red Seal, many employers pay you as an apprentice no matter how long you’ve been doing the work, and some jobs you can’t apply for at all. Yet good exam prep is expensive, runs on a college timetable, and is hard to find if you didn’t come up through the Canadian system.
We built Coded Trades for everyone working toward their ticket, and especially for plumbers trained overseas and women in the trade. We’ve spent years pushing for more women to join this trade, and a fair, flexible way to get certified is part of how that happens.
What we stand for
Open all year.
Start the day you’re ready, not when the next class happens to run. Study from the truck, the kitchen table or the shop.
A fair price.
A fraction of what a week in a classroom costs, with a payment plan if you need one.
Built on the code.
Every lesson follows the National Plumbing Code and is laid out by where the marks sit, so your study time lands where the exam does.
Honest beats hype.
No pass-rate claims we can’t back up. Every question goes through three rounds of review. And if you don’t pass, your access renews free.
Who’s behind it
Honestly? A lot of people.
When our founder moved to Canada, he had to figure out the Red Seal on his own. It was confusing, slow and expensive. He saved up for a refresher course and waited six months for a seat.
If that’s where you are right now, we know how frustrating it is.
We started Coded Trades because we believe education should be accessible and affordable. But we didn’t build it alone. Over the past few years, plumbers proofed the content, we interviewed instructors about refresher courses, the teaching methods that work, and where students struggle. And every customer of the plumbing company we run on the side paid for it, one job at a time.
We’re grateful to every one of them.
Where we’re going
We want Coded Trades to be the study guide plumbers across Canada reach for, and an affordable option alongside college refresher courses. Down the line, we’d like to work with instructors and colleges to add live teaching, so more plumbers can learn from real people wherever they are.
However big it gets, it stays within reach for the people who need it most.