Pre-Employment Trades Certificate

This 16-week certificate delivers the first-period technical theory of a skilled trade ahead of hands-on employer experience, allowing students to complete their first year of technical training close to home before moving into practical, on-the-job learning. Northern Lakes College offers the program in Carpentry, Electrical, Heavy Equipment Technician (Mechanic), Pipe Trades, and Welding streams at the Slave Lake campus. Coursework in the carpentry stream, for example, covers site preparation and building layout, building materials, estimating and plans, floor framing, foundations, and hand and power tools, alongside practical labs, safety certification, and workplace communication skills. Program timing varies by trade: most streams run September to December, the electrician stream runs into January, and the heavy equipment technician stream runs February to May. Students attend full-time, with flexible scheduling designed to support work and home commitments.