Anyone on here successfully converted their UK Mechanical Engineering City&Guilds or SVQ3 into AB Millwright qualifications?

Just submitted all my qualifications, papers and work experience proof to the TradeSecrets people and paid my fee today

Does anyone have any experience of the timescale that it takes for them to assess everything?

When you submitted your papers, did you send just the actual certificate or the whole transcript of education? (The site only lets you upload one file per qualification and I could only get the first page as a scanned document)

Thanks

Hi,

I moved to Edmonton last year through the pilot program for trade workers. part of the agreement was to obtain my millwright red seal certification. As far as I'm aware its not possible to convert your uk credentials to Canadian. From what I have read, any trade in Alberta that has a red seal exam, its not possible to convert your credentials. However degrees are different and can be transferred over. I'm sure it mentions this on the certificate equivalency form? I think your best bet would be to buy the millwright papers, study and challenge the exam. I passed my red seal with 82% a couple of weeks ago.
There's lots of variable questions in the exam so a good bit of studying is required. The papers in total cost me $500, I just sold them for $320 so I got a decent return for them.

I have my red seal exam coming up, how tough is the test? A lot of guys at work say the wording will catch you out as they try to trip you up, is that right? I'm doing a refresher course with ace in Edmonton for a week prior to challenging the exam. Do you know of anyone who has done that course?

What trade were you before? I was a mech tech on aircraft for 11 years so millwright work is slightly different and the terminology is a lot different.

Red Seal do not set exams or administer them, it is provincially set and Red Seal endorsed.

Foreign Trades qualifications cannot be converted or exchanged for Canadian certification, one can apply to challenge the exam if one has past experience, which as a rule is between 7 to 9000 hours or proveable work experience. This entails studying for and sitting the provincial trade exam.

Examinations are not set to trip people up, they are however set to test knowledge, ability to interpret directions, understanding of the topic and decision making. SOme questions have some degree of ambiguity in them, to test the above, if one reads the questions carefully and perhaps more than once, doe snot rush things and has done some study of Canadian practices and terminology, it is quite straightforward.

Sorry, I should have worded it better...

I am aware I can't directly convert my quals, however with my provable work experience and education, I should be able to challenge the exam(s)

Alberta Industry and Trades have received my documentation and issued my file number/student ID. Haven't heard anything from them since though...how long should I wait before calling them?


I'm actually a Gas Turbine Technician, served my time on GE Aircraft Engines before moving onto GE Industrial Stuff, but when I moved to Canada, the company that brought me over had me down as an aircraft technician since the work was considered Aero-derivative and it's on the NOC list.

A lot of the stuff I do doesn't relate to aircraft at-all and is actually very similar to the job description of the Millwright on the TradeSecrets website, plus my NVQ is actually in Mechanical Engineering, and my HND is Manufacturing Engineering so after assessing all the trades on TS, I decided Millwright was closest to what I actually do.

Quick update.

Anyone else planning on doing this...get a copy of your job description from each of your places of work.

One of my previous employers was unable to divulge such information to a 3rd party, so I had the application rejected - i had to request it myself and re-submit the application, which can only be done once so make sure you do all this!

Another update for anyone reading...

everything from my UK apprenticeship was accepted and now I just need to set a date to challenge the red-seal exam!

Hi Haggis88

That's great news,how long did it take in the end.
Have sent all the information they requested 7 days ago.
Diffrent trade (electrician) so should hear something soon.