Trades - Apprenticeship in Welder Apprenticeship

The Welder Apprenticeship at Olds College is a three-year Alberta apprenticeship leading to a Diploma and an Alberta Journeyperson Certificate authorizing graduates to work unsupervised in the welding trade. Each year combines eight weeks of on-campus classroom instruction with a minimum of 1,560 hours of employer-based on-the-job training. Students study Electric Arc, Metal Inert Gas (MIG), Tungsten Inert Gas/Arc (TIG), and gas welding processes, building on skills used to join and sever metals and fabricate parts, tools, machines, and equipment for construction and manufacturing. Admission follows Alberta's Apprenticeship and Industry Training structure: applicants complete an online application through the MyTradesecrets service, are encouraged to find a sponsor and employer for on-the-job training hours, and must meet eligibility requirements specific to the welding trade. Classroom instruction runs across several intake periods each year.