Human Service Counselors (HSC) FAQ

There are three options for certification as a Human Service Counsellor (HSC):

1. Legacy clause (without exam) based on criteria including minimum 8,000 hours worked in the occupation as of July 1, 2021 for a period of 4 years for those without approved training/education
2. Legacy clause (without exam) based on criteria including minimum 4,000 hours worked in the occupation as of July 1, 2021 for a period of 4 years for those with approved training/education.
3. Successful completion of a written exam for those who meet certain criteria including approved training/education and 3,000 hours of work experience in the human service counselor occupation.

Please visit GetCertifiedNB.ca where we’ll have the PDF process documents uploaded or contact your Regional Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification (AOC) Offices to review all required criteria and apply for certification.

New Brunswick’s aging and increasingly vulnerable populations, including thousands of seniors, children, families and disabled adults, has made the need for human services support more demanding and more complex than ever, and the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of front-line essential workers.

Assessment fee for the Certificate of Qualification with written exam is $100.00.
Exam fee for the Certificate of Qualification is $250.00.

A $200.00 fee is required to obtain the Certificate of Qualification (Legacy) without written exam.

Funding is available to assist eligible candidates for a limited time. Please contact the Regional Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification (AOC) for more information.

Please connect with an office near you.

Introducing occupational certification is voluntary and will not negatively impact your current employment status whether you choose not to apply for certification nor if your application is denied.

While there is currently no wage scale tied to certification, advocates on behalf of the occupation continue to reinforce that the key issue in rendering the occupation of human service counsellor as a viable and interesting career choice is that salaries become commensurate with qualifications.

Introducing voluntary occupational certification is a first crucial step in a consistent standard for quality care and counselling for clients and a rewarding career path for the practitioners who support them, whether for in-home or other work settings. It also has the potential to lead to enhancements in pay and improved working conditions.

For an individual to be certified, the benefit is in having their credentials and acquired competencies and work experience recognized provincially. The professional status and public confidence in the occupation will undoubtedly be enhanced as the number of certified practitioners increase and is made known, contributing to rendering the occupation of human service counsellor as a viable and interesting career choice.

The exam will be a multiple-choice questionnaire to be administered by the Regional Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification (AOC) office. The passing grade will be 70% of correctly answered questions.

Applicants with demonstrated work experience and acquired skills in the occupation as of July 1, 2021, are exempt from writing an exam. The legacy period expires on July 1, 2025 after which time the only option for certification will be to successfully complete an exam.

Applicants must fulfil certain criteria including having previous employer(s) confirmation of minimum number of hours work experience in the occupation, and confirmation they have acquired the specific mandatory skills as prescribed on the employer confirmation form.

Applicants with approved training credentials must have employer confirmation of at least 4,000 hours of work experience as of July 1, 2021.

Applicants without approved training credentials must have employer confirmation of at least 8,000 hours of work experience as of July 1, 2021.

The credentials of all applicants will be assessed by officials of the Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification (AOC) Branch of the Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour (PETL) and compared to the provincial training standard for human service counsellor approved by the industry.

Your only option will be to successfully complete an exam and this option is only available to those with approved training/education credentials. The prerequisites for writing the exam are as follows:

1. Employer confirmation of 3,000 hours of work experience in the occupation and attestation that you have acquired the specified mandatory skills on the employer confirmation form.
2. Approved post-secondary training /education and Proof of completion from an AOC approved training program
3. Proof of valid First Aid and CPR certificates
4. Apply, pay for, write and attain 70%+ on exam

If you have further questions, please contact your Regional Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification (AOC) office.

You can submit your application as well as employer confirmation forms to Regional Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification (AOC) office as of July 1, 2021 for a period of 4 years.

We anticipate that the development of the exam process will be completed by July 2021 after which a date will be determined whereby applications and employer confirmation forms can be submitted to the Regional Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification (AOC) office.

Please contact your Regional Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification (AOC) offices to learn more.

Candidate has 4 hours to write the exam. In some cases, exceptions can be given for extra time. Exams are usually scheduled monthly per region and may have exception depending on number of candidates requesting to write.

Results will be mailed to the candidate within two weeks of writing.

The Government of New Brunswick is working in collaboration with community and industry organizations in a shared commitment to resolving long-standing challenges in the human services sector. Introducing voluntary occupational certification is a first crucial step in a consistent standard for quality care and counselling for clients and a rewarding career path for the practitioners who support them, whether for in-home or other work settings. It also has the potential to lead to enhancements in pay and improved working conditions.

Only those applicants who already have a minimum of 4,000 hours of work experience as of July 1, 2021 can be exempt from the certification exam for human service counsellors. While it is true that these candidates can be exempt from the exam, some may choose to write the exam to obtain a certificate of qualification with exam rather than a certificate of qualification without exam which is technically titled a letter of authenticity.

While the threshold to be exempt from the exam is 4,000 hours of work experience as of July 1, 2021, you can be eligible to write the exam with 3,000 hours of work experience and approved training/education credentials.

No. The working titles of the workers can and do vary throughout the community services sector including and not limited to the following: human service counsellor, residential support worker, independent living coach, crisis intervenor, education assistant, etc. This certification is available to human service counsellors who use any of those titles.

No. The occupation of human service counsellor was designated by the Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification Board of New-Brunswick as a stand-alone occupation as of May 3, 2018 and not restricted to any workplace or employer.

A training certificate from any training provider does not equate to occupational certification. It is the Apprenticeship & Occupational Certification (AOC) Branch of the NB government who must assess and determine if your training met the industry standard for human service counsellors. To be eligible for occupational certification you must also have acquired the mandatory skills and competencies of the occupation through a specified number of hours of work experience as confirmed by your employer(s).