Does a trades business's apprenticeship program obligations transfer to a new owner?

Apprenticeship arrangements involve real obligations toward the apprentice's training and hours, and they don't simply evaporate because the business changes hands, though how they're handled depends on the deal structure. In a share sale, the same employing corporation continues, so its role as the apprentice's registered employer and training sponsor generally continues without a formal change, subject to whatever administrative confirmation the relevant training authority expects when ownership changes internally.

In an asset sale, the employing entity typically changes, and continuing an apprenticeship generally requires the new employer to be recognized as the sponsor going forward, which usually means notifying the relevant training authority of the change and ensuring the apprentice's registration and accumulated hours carry over properly rather than being interrupted or lost. Employment continuity concepts under the Employment Standards Act can support the apprentice's service being recognized for entitlements like vacation and notice if the new owner takes them on as an employee, but the apprenticeship registration itself is a separate administrative process from ordinary employment continuity.

Identifying any apprentices during due diligence, and confirming the registration and hours-tracking process with the relevant training authority before closing, protects both the apprentice's progress and the new owner's ability to keep them working productively without an administrative gap.