DazzaP

Hello all. Im needing some guidance on starting an apprenticeship in Alberta. First I will outline some brief important factors about me and what I want.

*I am 27 and will be moving to Edmonton in November with my girlfriend on the IEC scheme with the pretense of (fingers crossed) staying permanently.
*I have an NVQ Lvl 3 qualification in Metal Fabrication & Welding.
*I have found it hard to get work in the UK with my qualifications as most of the welding jobs have required 5+ years of experience.
*During my course (2 years) I was shown how to use Oxy torches, Basic hand tools, brake presses etc, i *THINK* we saw a very crusty very old arc welder but were not permitted to touch it.
*I am a relatively proficient MIG welder and have a total of 3 months industry experience.

So, obviously I am light years away from the required amount of hours / experience to apply to the AAIT to recognise my qualifications and to gain the Canadian equivalent.
What I would like to do would be to start working for a company as a first year apprentice in welding and work towards my Red Seal. I emailed the AAIT for more information, and received a somewhat lacklustre reply (with irrelevant documents attached) which i shall copy and paste below. I need to know how this is possible for me (if at all) and how i enroll.
Basically -
*How do i apply?
*Are there course start and end dates like in UK apprenticeships?
*Are there any fees?
*Am i eligible?

As you can probably tell from the structure of this thread i am quite an organised person, or rather try to be, so i would really like to have everything sorted and an employer lined up before i set off in November. Thanks for any help, I shall paste my correspondence with AAIT below...

-----ORIGINAL MESSAGE-------------------------------------
Subject: Registering my interest in the Alberta Apprenticeship scheme

Name: <snipped>

Comments: Hello, I thought I would contact you guys to try and gain some information on the Apprenticeship scheme. I am a UK resident at the moment and I am travelling to Canada on the 5th November to live. I have been granted an open work Visa and wish to start work as soon as I arrive in Edmonton. I have current qualifications in welding (City & Guilds Level 3 in Metal Fabrication and Welding) full GCSE's and full As/A Levels. I would very much like to enroll in the program to work toward the Canadian papers as I would imagine my qualifications would not be recognized by potential employers. Would I be eligible to apply for the program even though I wont immediately have permanent residency in Canada? Does the scheme start any time or is there a specific date? Do i approach an employer first before applying to the Scheme? Thanks very much for your time, it is much appreciated.


--------------REPLY-----------------
You will have to apply through the attached application to obtain approval to work in the Welder trade.

Thanks
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in the woods

I would try to get as much hands on as you can before you leave the uk.
And i would try to get lots of stick (arc) welding in if you can. and you will have more chance of a job with face to face contact than email

DazzaP

Sound advice dude yes, but my flights are booked and my visa is approved and the clock is ticking. I have enough cash to survive a few months so it wouldnt be the end of the world not having work before i leave, but still id feel more comfortable trying.

JonboyE

You cannot become an apprentice on an IEC. You have to be either a citizen or permanent resident.

http://tradesecrets.alberta.ca/learn...learn-a-trade/

DazzaP

Arrrrgh! What should i do then?

What would be the easiest route for me to go down to try and gain residency?

JonboyE

On the IEC you can work for any employer doing any job. The best thing will be to find a job, impress the hell out of the employer, and try to pursuade then to offer you a permanent job. You can then apply for PR with the permanent job offer, or to the Alberta PNP. I am not an expert on this but there are plently of people here who are and, hopefully, one can advise you with more certainty.

in the woods

i wasn't thinking about the money. You will need all the experience you can get. And i would say if you can't stick weld then you will never be a welder. just my opinion but every welder i have known spends lots of there time stick welding. try getting some time in even if you do it for free you will need this skill.

haggis88

welding seems to be in high demand in AB, i see a lot of open positions...

my advice would be to contact engineering firms in the area and let them know you're on an Open Work Permit and you can do X, Y and Z for them if they're looking for anyone.

As mentioned above, get your foot in the door...impress them and try to get them to give you a job offer that will allow you to gain PR!

DazzaP

@ inthe woods. Sorry man, reading back on my post and i didnt really put my point across very well. I well definitely try and gain some stick experience before i head out, my lecturers at the college were very very helpful and they will help me wherever possible to find some experience or guidance so ill head over and see them on Monday, see if i can perhaps volunteer somewhere.

@ haggis88 / jonboyE, I was under the impression that gaining permanent residency through a job offer would only work if you had been offered a job that is on the nominated list? If i worked as a beginner / apprentice welder for an engineering firm, could i still be offered full time work with them (if they are happy with my progress) and gain permanent residency even though im not a real red seal / coded welder?

Thank you so much guys, its a very stressful time and this all helps.

in the woods

Thats ok. i don't want you to come to canada and be knocked right back. good luck with your endeavors

Nikki Ian

When you arrive in Edmonton, Take a trip down to Nisku. I deal with almost all the companies in that area and they all tell me how hard it is to get sheet metal workers, welders ect of any grade, once they do hire somebody, the company next door puts a sign outside the gate offering and extra $5 hr and off they go.

You can not miss Nisku, it is opposite the airport, you will fly over it as you arrive.

PM me if you want some more info

Aviator

To work in Alberta, a welder or a wire process operator must be ONE of the following:

a registered apprentice
an Alberta-certified journeyperson
someone who holds a recognized related trade certificate.

UK qualifications are no recognised, so would not enable the OP to work as a welder in any province.

The options are

Try and get a job in a machine shop or firm who employees on IEC welders and try and get a job offer to apply for PR.

Get the experience overseas and challenge the interprovincial exam. This is about 5 years work experience and time spent training counts.

If you end up flying over Nisku on the approach to 20 at Edmonton, you really need to be on another airline You can see it port side, on final though.

DazzaP

Some brilliant information here, thanks so much.

@Nikki Ian, this sounds very promising indeed (even to work as a sheet metal worker or laborer in any of the local firms would be a good start for me). I shall fire you a PM shortly. Thanks.

@Aviator, good info also. Quick question though about applying for my PR, can I apply using ANY job offer as long as it is permanent? Does it not have to be on the nominated list of required occupations?
This would also apply to my other half as she is a Dental Nurse and her quali's aren't recognized but she can still work legally while training to the Canadian standard.

Keep em coming folks, this is all very interesting!

DazzaP

Reviving this as i need a further bit of assistance. Reading on the apprenticeship website for B.C, they seem to offer on the job training and apprenticeships to immigrants which is promising. I am wondering can I still live and work in Edmonton, whilst being enrolled in an apprenticeship in B.C? There must be some way of making this work. I don't mind changing my move plans to B.C should i need to if it means me ending up with the correct papers.
Cheers

ExKiwilass

how can you be enrolled on an apprenticeship in BC if you are in Alberta? Makes no sense.