Welding Educational Information
To work in Alberta, a welder or a wire process operator must be ONE of the following:
A registered apprentice
An Alberta-certified journeyperson
Hold a recognized related trade certificate
To register with Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training, apprentices must find a suitable employer who is willing to hire and train them. They must also meet ONE of the following:
Have an Alberta high school transcript with at least English Language Arts 10-2, Math 10-3, or equivalent
Have a pass mark in all 5 Canadian General Educational Development (GED) tests
Pass an entrance exam
Most employers prefer to hire high school graduates.
Whether your just starting out in welding or have been in the industry for a while, find everything you need to get certified in the Province of Alberta.
New to Welding
If you are just starting out in Welding, there are a few options that include starting in High School and participating in a work experience program. Or find an employer who is willing to indenture you as an apprentice or gain experinece with a pre-employment welding program. Agencies that run such programs include:
Free courses
SiS has developed a welding hazard risk assessment using the SAHARA (Safety and Health Awareness Risk Assessment) App technology from SWIFT Learning. SAHARA allows the worker to select hazards in the workplace and then complete a confidential psychosocial assessment right from their phone. The worker’s risk level is calculated and then eLearning courses are available to mitigate their risk.
SiS eLearning Courses
The SiS Foundation developed a Welding Safety and SAHARA 4 Welding course as part of this program. These and several other free eLearning courses including Mental Health and Well-being are included for free and can be accessed from any device in over 100 languages. Just click the SAHARA App & SiS eLearning Sign In button in the toolbar to access these courses.
Welding Occupational Information
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Welding Occupational Profile
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Working Conditions
A 40-hour workweek is typical but overtime is sometimes required to meet project deadlines. There is possible risk of injury involved in working with torches and hot metals, and the resulting sparks and toxic gases. They wear personal protective equipment (PPE) to reduce these risks.
Wire process operators usually work in production plants and metal fabrication shops. They spend most of their working hours on their feet.
Welders may work outdoors on construction sites or indoors in production and repair shops. For jobs such as oilfield welding, they can expect to do some traveling.
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Interests & Abilities
In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2006 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups. If there are multiple related NOC groups, select a NOC heading to learn about each one.
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NOC Codes
In Canada, the federal government groups and organizes occupations based on a National Occupational Classification (NOC) system. This alis occupation may not reflect the entire NOC group it is part of. Data for the NOC group can apply across multiple occupations.
The NOC system is updated every 5 years to reflect changes in the labour market. Government forms and labour market data may group and refer to an occupation differently, depending on the system used. Here is how this occupation has been classified over time:
2006 NOC: Welders (7265.1); Welding, Brazing and Soldering Machine Operators (7265.2)
2006 NOC-S: Welders and Related Machine Operators (H326)
2011 NOC: Welders and related machine operators (7237)
2016 NOC: Welders and related machine operators (7237)
2021 NOC: Welders and related machine operators (72106)
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Duties
In Alberta, welder is a compulsory designated trade with a wire process operator branch available.
Welders and wire process operators join and sever metals in beams, girders, vessels, piping and other metal components, make metal parts used in construction and manufacturing plants, and weld parts, tools, machines and equipment. They fuse metal pieces together with heat using different welding processes. The processes and fillers they choose depends on the type of metal, its size and shape, and requirements for finished product strength.
Welders are certified in all welding processes. For typical welding projects, they:
Develop patterns or follow directions given in layouts, drawing interpretation and work orders
Shape component parts, clean, and check for defects
Weld parts together
Wire process operators work primarily in production and manufacturing plants, joining components and sub-assemblies. They are limited to the following welding processes:
Gas metal arc welding (GMAW)
Flux cored arc welding (FCAW)
Submerged arc welding (SAW)
Other semiautomatic wire feed welding processes
They may also use cutting torches to separate metals, or build up worn parts by welding layers of high-strength hard-metal alloys onto them. For typical welding projects, wire process operators:
Follow directions in layouts, drawing interpretation, and work orders
Join parts together
Shape component parts, clean welds, and check for defects
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Traits and Skills
Welders and wire process operators need:
Manual dexterity
Good vision (glasses are acceptable)
Eye-hand coordination
Attention to detail
Patience
They should enjoy building things and working with little direction or supervision.
In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2016 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups. If there are multiple related NOC groups, select a NOC heading to learn about each one.
This following shows which job skills are currently in highest demand for this occupational group. It was created using this occupation's 100 most recent Alberta job postings, collected between Sep 30, 2022 and Dec 09, 2022. Review these skills to learn:
Whether or not this occupation matches your skill set
What training you may need to get these skills
What skills to highlight in your resumé, cover letter, and interview.
In demand skills:
Tasks:
Operate manual or semi-automatic, fully automated welding equipment : 76
Read and interpret welding blueprints, drawings specifications, manuals and processes : 76
Interpret welding process specifications : 73
Operate manual or semi-automatic flame-cutting equipment :66
Hand-eye co-ordination : 64
Attention to detail : 61
Examine welds and ensure that they meet standards and/or specifications : 56
Welding Techniques: Gas metal arc welding (GMAW) : 55
Operate previously set-up welding machines to fabricate or repair metal parts and products