tommy123

Please Help....
Working towards my NVQ 2 and have approx 6 months experience. planning to go to canada to look for work as soon as i've completed the nvq which should be a few months away, once i've completed it would/could i be considered fully qualified/journeyman in canada because its a 5 yr apprenticeship over there so i fear i wouldn't.
Also does anyone know if theres any chance of getting an apprentice plumbing job in canada if your not a a canadian national or PR?

Although plumbers are in demand i fear apprentice plumbers are not and this might make getting an LMO and therefore a TWP dificult. (even tho apprentice plumber is included under "plumbers" on the NOC list)
Any help from anyone who has any idea would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!!

linz3112

Hiya
Where are you looking at moving to in Canada?

Each province has different requirements to work as a registered Plumber but they do all require more than 8430 hours of work experience. Some include the hours worked as an apprentice, others don't.

You will not be able to get an LMO as an apprentice Plumber as the LMO is only given if you are able to work within the provinces regulations which as an apprentice you can't.

If you are considering BC - www.itabc.ca
If you are considering AB - www.tradesecrets.gov.ab.ca

Another thing to look at is the Red Seal - google it.

I hope this helps. My OH has just completed his apprenticeship here and after loads of research, we will not be able to go anywhere for another 2 years so i think you will be in the same situation.

Linz

tommy123

Hi
Thanks for responding, I'm looking at ontario although i've not ruled out other areas. I'm led to believe Alberta is a good place to look due to the oil sands. I think I'm in for a long wait as I've only been doing plumbing for short time.
I'm currently looking at the PNP as that can bypass the need for LMO but its still a long shot as i'd have to go over as apprentice and not sure that would be good enough to get through on PNP.

You mentioned your OH is qualified but will still have to wait for 2 years to go. Does this mean that potential employers will not look at him until he's done the 2 years or that he couldn't be considered journeyperson until then, because i see alot of jobs advertised for 4th or 5th yr apprentice, could he not be eligible for these??

Regards

Tom

linz3112

Hiya,

We thought about the 3rd/4th year apprenticeship too but you cannot get an LMO for it. Unless you have enough points to get over there without a job, you will have to wait until you have the required hours that are needed to register as a Plumber. I was also under the impression that to get nominated for the PNP, you must have a TWP that then leads onto a permanent Job offer. Again, this requires an LMO which you cannot get as an apprentice.
My hubby has literally just qualified and we are going to Alberta. To work there you must have 9000 hours experience, on top of your apprenticeship, this means we have a bit of a wait!
Also, i believe that with Ontario, the time served as an apprentice is NOT included as work experience so the 9000 hours has to be on top of the apprenticeship.

If you PM me your email address, i will send you the reply i had from Ontario education authority.

Sorry that it isn't as easy as hoped. We were gutted when we found out!
If i dig up any loops holes etc, i will let you know.

Linz

sikb0y

Hi Linzi, sorry to dig up and old thread but i was just reading and i seem to be in a similar situation to you? i was wondering how long has your husband been plumbing? i Recently finished my nvq3/gas qualifications which was my 5th year at college, although iv been plumbing for 6. do u know if the time doing my apprenticeship count towards the hours in BC? Cheers

linz3112

As far as the correspondence I had with the authority in BC then yes it does but this was about a year ago so you may want to double check. If you click on the link above for ITA then there will be more up to date info on there.
Good Luck!!

j-dizzle

Hey, Could someone help me please?
Im just wondering, does the hours worked as an apprentice count as experience? Or is it only once you have completed the 4 year apprenticeship that the hours start to count ?

thanks.

caseys plumbing

I have been living in Ontario for 4 years now, I run my own plumbing / heating business in Barrie.

I am not currently looking to take on an apprentice, I would be happy to help or give advice relating to the plumbing industry in Ontario.

Steve.

Wespritchard

Hi, I'm thinking of moving to Canada and I'm not sure how my uk qualifications work over there, I have a SVQ level 3 having completed a 4 year apprenticeship in plumbing and heating 6 years ago tho my specialty is bathroom fitting and general plumbing. Don't have much to do with the heating side of things other than fitting radiators. I'm just wondering if there's much need for my skills and how much difference there is between uk and Canadian plumbing systems? Cheers

caseys plumbing

I am not to sure what the SVQ3 qualification is , I have my advanced craft city and guilds, I had to sit an exam to qualify as a licensed plumber in Ontario.

How is work in the UK are things as bad as we read on the news?

Wespritchard

An SVQ/NVQ level 3 is the Highest qualification you can get before moving on to being a plumbing technician. I personally can't complain about no work as I'm working 6-7 days a week and I'm booked up till atleast October with bathrooms! Currently a few of the big bathroom company's are going under so were getting all the work, I subcontract to another plumber who used to employ me because I can make alot more money self employed but we've got a great reputation in our area but we still have to keep our prices low enough just to cover our wages as there's always someone ready to under cut you. What's the trade like over there?

caseys plumbing

Sounds like your qualifications are good, if you are making goods money I would stay were you are ,the economy is not great here you will not make the same sort of money you are now, the wages here are lower but the cost of living is very low as well. the quality of life out here is very good. it took us 4 years to feel we are at a point were we left the UK in 2007 every year it gets better for us I think we would be in trouble in the UK if we still lived there.

lilplumber

Well every province or state has it own rules and regulation for plumber or for any job offer. Just visit the GOV sites of that province for better information.