Trades - Apprenticeship in Welder Apprenticeship

The Welder Apprenticeship is a three-year Red Seal trade program combining on-campus instruction with workplace training. About 80 percent of the program takes place on the job with a qualified welder, with the remainder spent in classroom instruction and Lethbridge Polytechnic's welding lab, totaling eight to twelve weeks of classroom training each year. Coursework covers five welding processes: gas metal arc, flux-cored arc, metal-cored arc, shielded metal arc, and gas tungsten arc welding, along with oxy-acetylene and plasma cutting. Delivery is face-to-face on campus, with some blended and hyflex components. Apprentices must be registered with an Alberta employer to progress through the three levels of training. On completing the program and passing the Red Seal interprovincial examination, graduates receive certified Journeyman papers, recognized across Canada. The credential qualifies graduates to work as welders across manufacturing, construction, and fabrication industries. The program is not open to international students, since it requires concurrent employment with an Alberta-registered training employer throughout its three years.