nikkim

Hi
Just wondered if anyone on here has taken the equivalency exam for this job. My hubby is mechanic and we have discovered that he needs to take this exam in order to work in Alberta. It seems to cost $450 which is a lot if he is not well prepared. We just want to know if a lot of terminology and car parts names are different to here in UK as this would make life difficult if he was not prepared.

Anyway, any help would be great.

Thanks

Nikki

Tracie107

Hi, My OH is also a mechanic but fortunately he does not have to sit an exam, we are heading to BC.

I found this link http://www.tradesecrets.gov.ab.ca/tr...9_glossary.pdf which gives the terminlogy.

Also go the website itself www.tradesecrets.gov.ab.ca/ it is a bit long- winded but click on the link for 'Resource Materials - Automotive Service Technician', it gives you a complete breakdown of what you are allowed to have and not have at the exam ie. they will supply their own calculator etc.

Good Luck!

Judy in Calgary

Hi Nikki,

Piff Poff's husband is a mechanic in Red Deer. Yes, the terminology in Canada is different. Piff Poff says her husband found the exam quite demanding.

Sadly they've just suffered a bereavement, and I believe are making arrangements even as we speak to fly back to the UK for a funeral. See the We got the phone call we all dread! thread. With that being the case, Piff Poff may not be in a position to see your question or respond to it for a while.

But I used the forum's search function to find a couple of old threads in which Piff Poff had posted about her husband's job, the exam that he took, etc.

Please see
You also may find something useful in the Wiki article on Skilled Trades.

Here is a previous thread that has information about study materials for mechanics.

Hope that helps.

Piff Poff

Mr Piff says:

i had to challenge the exam in alberta as well,it consists of multichoice questions,and i was surprised by some of the content,especially questions on welding,i expected that to be a bodyshop concern.the main advice i can give you is to read the terminology carefully as the canadians seem to have a different word for everything in the automotive world,gearbox,wing,anti roll bar,are a few terms that are unheard of and meet with blank looks!most things you can work out fairly easily,and marking seems to be very fair,so don,t worry too much,i did get hold of text books from the apprentices but don,y really feel they helped that much,hope this helps a little,if you want to PM us feel free and we will help any way we can

Judy in Calgary

Oh, wow, Piff Poff, you're here (or was that Mr. Piff?).

Before seeing your post, I'd done a search of the website of Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT). In the bookstore section, I'd found a list of text books for automotive service technicians (that means mechanics, I think).

But then, on the other hand, Mr. Piff says he didn't find text books all that helpful, so I don't know what to say.

Piff Poff

Mr. Piff popped in for a guest appearance! I will say that Mr. Piff didn't study the books too hard and I remembering him saying they expect you to know a lot of the math and for a chappy that's been mechanicking for more than 20 years the math is a dim and distant memory - as is sitting exams

I also seem to remember that he only got 2 chances to sit the exam and he took 'em both.

The idea was he was going to fly out and take the exam to see what it was all about (before studying or anything) before we officially moved over but that all went a little pear shaped when he was given a 3 month TWP on arrival. Lets just say the pressure was on and things moved very quickly after that.

You know what, the familiarity of popping on here has been keeping our minds busy while we can't actually do anything else - so thank you all

nikkim

thanks everyone. This should keep me going for a while.
We are thinking of going for a visit in July, so hoping to get hubbie booked in exam then. Hoping to put feelers out for jobs before and then arrange interviews when there. We were then thinking of applying via PNP if this is successful.

Again, thanks for your help
Nikki

Piff Poff

Please, Please be aware that a temporary work permit may be issued when you land in either Calgary or Edmonton if you have booked an exam date. I also assume he has been told he can 'challenge the exam'?

If a temporary work permit is issued your hubby will only have until it runs out to pass the exam. You only get two tries. If he fails and the permit runs out I believe you have to do the final years course work - Ruby Murray may be able to help there as she does something to do with apprentices now.

Ruby Murray

Thanks Piff! If you haven't found this on the website already (www.tradesecrets.gov.ab.ca), type in Foreign Worker Information in the search tool and it will explain how the TWP/examination process works. If you do have any questions, I'll do what I can to help.


You are granted 2 attempts at writing the Qual exam (as Piff explained), however we have had one guy in last month who wrote his 3rd and final attempt and passed....we were all chuffed at his relief as his TWP was about to expire the following week!!

Piff Poff

Sorry Rubes - wasn't thinking

Ruby Murray

No Hun, you misunderstood.....I meant Thanks (truly!) . I don't mind if anyone wants to ask me questions on apprenticeship. I certainly don't know everything there is to know, but if anyone has a question, I'll try and answer it or I will ask the trade consultants at work. I've been hoping to get the opportunity to "help" people in the trades....but don't overwhelm me now

I'd say you and hubs know more than I do on the TWP process and the timescale for exams - when we get enquiries like that at the office, we just refer them to our Edmonton office which is where international enquiries are dealt with.

nikkim

Thanks Piff Poff and Ruby Murray.
I know this may sound dim but what does it mean to challenge the exam? and also if hubby applies for the alberta qualification certificate and it is accepted, does he have to take the exam within a certain amount of time before the cert expires? also, does anyone know how long it takes to get the initial certificate through?
Sorry to bombard with questions. I thought that i had done a lot of research but it seems i have only scratched the surface.
Many thanks

Nikki

Piff Poff

You have to apply to be able to take (challenge) the exam. They will check your certificates - I guess your hubby has City and Guilds and make sure you have worked in the trade for a minimum amount of hours, you can find all this out on the tradesecrets website already posted, from what I remember after applying to take the exam my hubby got permission pretty quickly but that was 3 years ago now.

mandymoochops

Mr MMC will be challenging his next month Alberta trade and industry are quite possibly the most helpful people we have encountered (they are the guys that check that you have the qualifications to be able to sit the exam!)

We had to get the approval to challenge the exam before HRSDC would issue our LMO, and we were told that Mr MMC has to challenge it within 6 months of being here, although his company have been great and won't let him do the exam til they think he can pass it!!!!! (think they are quite well in with someone so will stall it til he has all the terminology sorted!)

We too have a pile of books here from one of the guys at work that are being studied () of an evening but it doesn't seem too hard once you get your head round stuff!

PM me too if you need any advice!

nikkim

thanks again.
Does this mean then that my husband cannot take the exam on 'holiday' and then just come home without risk of temp work visa being issued there and then. Also, if it is issued how long are they valid for?

Could he just get a job and then take the exam once in employment?

thanks for all your replies
Nikki