- Home
- Free Courses
- Working in Canada: Workplace Basics for Newcomers
Working in Canada: Workplace Basics for Newcomers
A free course for newcomers to Canada who are starting work in Alberta. Five short lessons cover pay and your SIN, employment standards, safety and rights, workplace communication and credential recognition, with a certificate of completion.
Already have a campus account? Open the course
The short version
Free, no payment details
Sign up with your name and e-mail and confirm it with a 6-digit code. There is nothing to buy.
About 65 minutes
5 short lessons and one final quiz. Your progress is saved, so you can stop and come back on any device.
Certificate of completion
Finish every lesson and score 70% or more on the final quiz. Retakes are unlimited.
Not a program
This free short course is not part of a Ucademy diploma or certificate program and gives no program credit.
What you will learn
- Explain what a Social Insurance Number is for and how to protect it
- Read a pay statement and recognize required deductions such as income tax, CPP and EI
- Use Alberta's rules on minimum wage, breaks, overtime, holidays and vacation to check your own pay
- Name your three health and safety rights and the steps to refuse dangerous work
- Use clear phrases to ask questions, get feedback and raise a problem at work
- Find out whether your occupation is regulated and where to get credentials assessed and free help
Who it is for
Newcomers to Canada who are starting or looking for work in Alberta, including permanent residents, work permit holders and international students, plus anyone who wants a refresher on Alberta workplace rules. No previous Canadian work experience is needed.
What you need
- A computer or phone with an internet connection
- Reading comfort in plain English; the lessons use short sentences and examples
- About 65 minutes in total, which you can split across several days
Lessons
- 1Before your first day: SIN, offer and pay12 min
- 2Alberta pay, hours, overtime, holidays and vacation13 min
- 3Ending a job, safety and your rights14 min
- 4Communicating at work13 min
- 5Credentials, free services and your next 90 days13 min
- ✓Working in Canada: final quizfinal quiz
Where this course can lead
Ucademy career programs
This course is a short, practical introduction. The full program goes much further: seven online diploma and certificate programs in healthcare, business and technology.
Related reading
More free business & administration courses
Office Skills Starter: Email, Calendar and Excel
Learn the everyday office skills behind administrative work in Alberta: professional email, scheduling across time zones, file organization and Excel basics. Six short lessons and a…
See the course →
AI Tools at Work: Using ChatGPT and Copilot Safely
A free AI course for office work: write clear prompts for ChatGPT and Copilot, use them on everyday tasks, check what they produce and keep personal…
See the course →
Excel for the Office: Pivot Tables, Lookups and Charts
Go beyond Excel basics: prepare data, build pivot tables, look up values with XLOOKUP, VLOOKUP and INDEX with MATCH, and present results in clear charts. Five…
See the course →Frequently asked questions
Yes. You sign up for a free account, take the five lessons and the quiz online, and pay nothing.
Yes. When you finish the five lessons and the quiz, you receive a certificate of completion from Ucademy. The course is not part of a Ucademy diploma or certificate program.
About 65 minutes in total. It is self-paced and online, so you can take one lesson at a time over several days.
No. The lessons assume no Canadian work experience and use plain English with short examples. You can come back to any lesson as many times as you like.
The employment standards, safety and credential information refers to Alberta and to rules for provincially regulated workplaces. Other provinces and federally regulated industries have different rules, so check the rules where you work.
No. It is a free short course, not part of a Ucademy diploma or certificate program, and it does not give program credit.
Start Working in Canada: Workplace Basics for Newcomers today
Free, online and at your own pace, with a certificate of completion.