Welding

selkirk.ca/welding

LENGTH OF STUDY:
Seven months

ACCREDITATION:
Certificate

CAMPUS:
Silver King Campus, Nelson

Program Summary

The Industry Training Authority (ITA) in the province
of BC currently recognizes and supports two streams
for welder training, Modular and Apprenticeship.

The Modular stream is for welders who do not have
an employer sponsor and consists of the Foundation
program (28 wks), the Welder B program (16 wks)
and the Welder A program (8 wks).

The Apprenticeship stream is for those who

are indentured by an employer sponsor. The
apprenticeship consists of Levels 1, 2 and 3 technical
training and a fourth level called Multi-Process Alloy
Welding (MPAW).

WELDER FOUNDATION (FORMERLY
C-LEVEL WELDING)

Regardless of the training model or stream that you
want to follow, you can start with Welder Foundation
and eventually achieve Inter-Provincial (Red Seal)
Welder certification. Welder Foundation graduates
will receive 300 hours of credit towards the work-
based experience that is required for certification in
either the Modular or the Apprentice stream. Those
following the Apprenticeship stream will receive
credit for Level 1 and Level 2 apprentice technical
training and return to school as a Level 3 apprentice.

Note that apprentices do not have to take the
Foundation program. An employer can indenture

an apprentice if they have not taken the Welder
Foundation program. These apprentices will receive
training on the job from their employer and start their
in-school technical training at Level 1.

Welder Foundation is a 28-week introductory
program that prepares learners for entry level
positions as apprentice welders in most sectors of
the economy including manufacturing, construction,
transportation, resource extraction, and resource
development. Students engage in a variety of
classroom and shop activities. In the classroom, they
learn theoretical principals of welding. Shop sessions
provide the opportunity to learn processes and
master practical welding skills.

Students engage in a variety of classroom and shop
activities. They will learn basic welding procedures
including Oxy-fuel Gas Cutting, Shielded Metal

252. Selkirk College Academic Calendar 2017-18

Arc Welding, Gas Metal Arc Welding/Flux Cored
Arc Welding, basic Blueprint Reading and basic
Metallurgy.

MODULAR STREAM

Welder Foundation graduates who wish to follow

the Modular stream will look for work as an entry
level welder and obtain an additional 700 hours of
work-based experience for a total of 1,000 hours
before returning to the Welder B program. Those on
the Modular stream are not required to be indentured
to their employer.

WELDER B

The 16 week Welder B program offers more advanced
training on the topics in the Foundation program

and also includes training in: Tungsten Arc Welding;
and Pipe Welding. Upon successful completion of
Welder B and 950 work-place hours, Welders receive
a Certificate of Qualification as a B Welder and the

B Stamp in their logbook from the Industry Training
Authority (ITA). At the end of the Welder B program
students will write the Inter-Provincial (Red Seal)
Welder exam. Upon passing the Interprovincial

exam and the accumulation of 4,500 work-place
hours, Welders receive Red Seal, Interprovincial
certification.

WELDERA

The Welder A program is 8 weeks long and is for
those wishing to gain more advanced skills in pipe,
metallurgy, low-alloy electrodes etc. With successful
completion of this program and 3,450 work-place
hours Welders receive the Certificate of Qualification
as an A Welder and the A Stamp in their logbook from
the ITA.

APPRENTICESHIP STREAM

Graduates of the Welder Foundation program earn
advance credit for Levels 1 and 2 of the Technical
Training component of the Welder Apprenticeship.
Additionally, they earn 300 hours credit towards

the Workplace-Based Training component of their
apprenticeship. After completion of the program, it’s
recommended that students gain another 2,700 hours
of hands-on field experience before returning to
school for Level 3 Technical Training.

Levels 1 (8 weeks) and Level 2 (8 weeks) Technical
Training in the apprenticeship stream covers

similar topics as in the Foundation program. The
apprenticeship stream assumes that the apprentice is
receiving training on the job so the in-school portion
of their training is shorter.

Level 3 Welding is an 10-week program for
indentured apprentices who have 3,000 hours or
more of Workplace-Based Training. Content is similar
to Welder B. The apprenticeship stream assumes
apprentices are receiving focused training on the
job and so the in-school technical training is only 10

weeks long. Upon completion of Level 3 Welding,
students write the Inter-Provincial (Red Seal) Welder
exam. Those with a passing grade on the Red Seal
exam and 4,500 hours of Workplace-Based Training
earn the Welder Certificate of Qualification as well as
the Inter-Provincial (IP) Red Seal Standard.

Multi-Process Alloy Welding (MPAW) is a 5 week
program that covers material similar to Welder A.
Upon successful completion of the MPAW program
and a further 900 hours of work-place hours Welders
earn the MPAW endorsement and an MPAW Stamp
will be placed in their logbook by the ITA.

Multi-Process Alloy Welding is a 5-week, post-
apprenticeship, shop-based program for certified
welders who wish to expand their skill sets,

gain advanced certification, and enhance career
opportunities. Admission is restricted to indentured
IP-certified welders. Upon completion of the
program, successful completion of a standardized
exam, and 5,400 hours of field experience, a “Multi-
Process Alloy Welding” will be affixed to the welder’s
existing Certificate of Qualification.

UPGRADER WELDING

Upgrader Welding is a self-paced, competency-based
training program sanctioned by the Canadian
Welding Bureau (CWB) and the American Society of
Mechanical Engineers (ASME) for welders seeking
specific ASME trade endorsements. Selkirk College
is authorized to grant ASME certifications to welders
who demonstrate competence in specific processes.
CWB testing is currently not available at Selkirk
College.

YOUTH TRAIN IN TRADES (ACE IT) HIGH
SCHOOL TRANSITION PROGRAM

This program qualifies for high school transitions.

A program that is designed to help secondary

school students get a head-start on their trades
careers, while earning graduation credit, the BC
Industry Training Authority (ITA) Youth Train in Trades
(formerly known as Accelerated Credit Enrolment in
Industry Training (ACE IT)) program is a perfect way
to learn more about the industry. Speak with your
high school guidance counsellor to learn more. Get
in touch with our ITT admin assistant by email at
trades@selkirk.ca or phone: 1.866.301.6601 x13221

Admission Requirements

The following admission requirements are specific to
the Welding Program.

— Graduation from a British Columbia Senior
Secondary School or equivalent

— Foundations & Pre-Calculus 10, or Apprenticeship
Workplace 11, or Principles 10, or Applications 11,
or Essentials 12, or Selkirk ABE Math 46, with a
grade of “C” or better

selkirk.ca/programs