Trades Alberta: Bakers and boilermakers
Alberta Works links job-seekers and employers
When j’Amey Holroyd started a boilermaker apprenticeship 14 years ago, she was not entirely sure what she was getting herself into.
“I was interested in getting into steel trades and had an opportunity to go work with boilermakers,” Holroyd, 36, recalls.
“I didn’t know what it was when I got into it, but it’s been phenomenal and led to an extraordinary career with tons of growth and opportunities.”
In her current position as director of apprenticeship and education for Boilermakers Local 146, Holroyd helps others get started in the trade through pre-apprenticeship courses and information sessions.
On Tuesday, she hosted a free session called Careers in Boilermaking at the Edmonton South Alberta Works Centre on Gateway Boulevard.
The workshop was part of the provincial government’s inaugural Alberta Works Week, a five-day event connecting Albertans with career and employment opportunities in the trades and other fields.
Holroyd explained what a boilermaker is, how people can get started and the employment opportunities available after training.
Boilermakers build, erect, repair, test and maintain all types of boilers, tanks and pressure vessels. They’re employed in a wide range of industries, including metal fabrication, construction, shipbuilding, rail transport, electrical power, iron and steel, and oil and gas.
“The work is exciting,” said Holroyd, who started in the trade as a 22-year-old apprentice in an Edmonton fabrication shop. “It’s varied and you often have to use problem-solving skills.”
Boilermakers are in “serious demand” across Alberta, she said, required for new construction projects and ongoing maintenance at industrial sites.
There’s plenty of work in the oil and gas industry in Fort McMurray, the refineries east of Edmonton and in the Fort Saskatchewan area, and fabrication shops in Calgary and Edmonton.
Holroyd said the men and women who join the trade are of all ages and backgrounds.
“It’s a very physically demanding job, that’s one thing people need to keep in mind. It’s important to work smart and know your limitations; to ask for help when you need it.”
The Boilermakers Local 146 regularly offers apprentice-recruitment information sessions. Information and dates are available on the local’s website, www.boilermakers.ca.
Holroyd said the union is also recruiting for pressure welders. The session on boilermaking was one of more than 80 employment events taking place around Alberta this week.
“It’s an opportunity for Albertans to get information about careers, connect with employers, and find out about training opportunities to help them reach their career goals,” said Tracey Kipta, a spokeswoman for the provincial government.
The government has partnered with stakeholders in 30 communities to hold the events, which coincide with the end of the school year for many post-secondary students, Kipta said.
“It’s a good opportunity for them to find out what jobs are out there,” she said.
The events also target groups under-represented in Alberta’s workforce, Kipta said, including youth, mature workers, aboriginal people, new Canadians and people with disabilities, including developmental disabilities.
Pierre Schaaf, co-owner and operations manager at Spectrum Safety Services, took part in Alberta Works Week. He was set up Wednesday at Alberta Job Corps, 11244 120th St., offering information on the training, safety equipment and tickets needed to get into the trades.
The 13-year-old Edmonton company offers certified safety courses, covering topics like basic first aid, confined-space entry, petroleum safety and fall protection.
Schaaf said many trades workers in the oil and gas industry attend safety courses at Spectrum’s Edmonton office. The courses range from one to two days, with the requirements varying by trade.
The cost of training is sometimes covered by an employer, an employment agency, or by the individual, who wants to ensure proper training before seeking employment, Schaaf said.
Regardless of how people end up through Spectrum’s doors or what courses they take, the training is essential.
“Safety in Alberta is very big,” Schaaf said.
“Employers make it mandatory to have the employees trained, and (safety training) is also important for individual employees so that they know how to protect themselves. That’s the biggest part of it, to know what you can and can’t do on a job site.”