SKILLED TRADESPEOPLE IN DEMAND
Career opportunities across Canada for union boilermakers
At one time, boilermakers made boilers for things like steam locomotives and hot-water heating systems. Today, the modern trade has expanded to include all kinds of work with containers and systems that operate under pressure. And for those interested in becoming a tradesperson in this field, the job market in Canada is vibrant and lucrative.
“Today, boilermakers work to build and maintain large-scale industrial facilities like oil refineries, chemical plants, nuclear plants, breweries and oil-sands facilities,” explains Joseph Maloney, international vice president for Canada of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers. “If you’re building an oil refinery, for example, you’ll need boilermakers to construct the huge storage tanks and install the conduits that pump chemicals under pressure to and from the refining area,” says Maloney. “In a nuclear plant, they build structures for the reactors, the cooling and the backup systems.” They also maintain the infrastructure of these plants.
Boilermakers undergo a four-year apprenticeship program that includes classroom training and on-the-job experience. Following a successful apprenticeship, boilermakers receive their Red Seal qualification, a nationally recognized certificate. “During or even before someone begins their apprenticeship, he or she can contact their local Boilermakers union office and apply for membership,” says Maloney.
Advantages of union membership include a competitive wage of up to $60 per hour, a strong pension plan, an excellent health-and-welfare benefit plan and the benefits of union representation in the workplace. There are also a multitude of job opportunities; nearly 85 per cent of boilermakers in Canada are hired through the union.
“Union boilermakers are protected by stringent health-and-safety practices that make our workplaces among the safest in Canada,” adds Maloney. “And members can make use of our extensive national network of training centres, where they can continually upgrade skills and remain at the top of their trade so they continue to get their pick of the best jobs and pay.”
Currently, there’s a need for boilermakers throughout Canada — and workforce forecasting shows a healthy picture in the years ahead. In the east, there’s offshore drilling and oil refineries; in Ontario, nuclear-plant refurbishment and construction. In the west, work in the oil sands remains important; and in British Columbia, there’s a need for boilermakers in the shipbuilding industry, in refineries and in the burgeoning liquefied natural gas sector. Across Canada, boilermakers are needed in mines and industry in general. “Even if building slows down in one area or sector, maintenance must continue,” says Maloney.