Alberta Trades Jobs Work Careers Edmonton Calgary

Do you like working with wood or steel? Can you be precise and accurate in your work? Are you creative? Are you good with your hands? Do you have an eye for detail? Do you have strong math skills? Then, you could be a carpenter!

What the work is like

The largest single group of skilled workers in Canada, carpenters build, install, maintain and repair structures made of wood or wood substitutes.

They are employed by construction companies, carpentry contractors and maintenance departments or they may be self-employed.

Carpenters work mostly in the new home building and renovation, heavy industrial, and institutional and commercial construction sectors.

Your duties

As a carpenter, your duties may include:

• Building foundations, installing floor beams, laying sub-flooring, and installing walls and roofing systems
• Fitting and installing trim, doors, stairs, moulding and hardware
• Measuring, cutting and joining materials made of wood or wood substitutes
• Repairing and renovating wooden structures
• Preparing cost estimates for clients
• Reading and interpreting blueprints, drawings and sketches

Work conditions

Carpenters’ working conditions vary from one job to another. Some carpenters work indoors and work a standard 40-hour week (8 hours a day, 5 days a week). Other carpenters work mostly outdoors and may work varied hours, depending on the demands of the project.

As with many careers in construction, there are peak periods that will require you to work overtime. The number of additional hours you work each week depends on the construction sector and region you work in, and will vary from one job to the next.

Carpenters may work alone, in teams, or with helpers. The job can be physically demanding. You will often have to lift heavy materials and work with sharp tools. The work is also mentally challenging—you may have to make quick mental calculations.

As with all careers in the construction industry, safety is the top priority. Carpenters are trained to work safely, and take special precautions to protect themselves from injury.

Essential skills

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) has identified nine essential skills that are necessary to succeed in the workplace. These skills provide the foundation for learning all other skills and are applicable to most construction careers. Best of all, you can learn and improve on these skills in school, on the job, and during your everyday life.

The most important Essential Skills for carpenters are:

• Document use—reading and interpreting documents to extract information
• Numeracy—working with numbers to perform calculations
• Problem solving—coming up with solutions to challenges

Apprenticeship

Apprenticeship is one way of starting out in the construction industry. It involves both classroom studies and on-the-job training under the supervision of a certified carpenter, called a journeyperson.

As an apprentice, you earn while you learn and are paid by the hour while working on the job site. Wages start at about 60% of a journeyperson’s hourly rate and increase during your apprenticeship, until you reach the full rate.

Entering an apprenticeship program

Requirements for carpenter apprenticeship programs vary across Canada. You are usually required to complete secondary school. You may find it helpful to enrol in math, shop, industrial arts, and mechanical drawing courses in high school.

Some provinces and territories offer secondary school apprenticeship programs that allow high school students to work towards a career as a carpenter.

Program length

Carpenter apprenticeship programs vary across Canada, but generally involve four 12-month periods, including at least 5,440 hours of on-the-job training and four 8-week blocks of technical training.

Related work experience or completion of a carpenter program at a college or technical institute can reduce the time required to complete your apprenticeship.

Certification

Carpenter certification is required in Québec. It is available, but voluntary, in all other provinces and territories. Even where certification is voluntary, it is still recommended. Certification tells employers and other workers that you are a skilled professional. It also helps you get jobs.

To be certified as a carpenter, you usually need to complete a four-year apprenticeship program. Once you successfully complete the on-the-job training, technical training and examinations required by the program, you are awarded a journeyperson certificate.

If you have over four years of on-the-job experience and some high school, college or industry courses in boilermaking, you may be eligible for carpenter certification.

Once certified, you may attempt the Interprovincial Exam to qualify for the Interprovincial Standards’ Red Seal. With a Red Seal, you can work as a carpenter anywhere in Canada.

To keep your skills current, you have to keep up with new technological developments by reading and talking with other carpenters.

Salary ranges

TYPICAL WORK WEEK/YEAR *

In addition to their hourly rate, many construction workers receive statutory holiday and vacation pay. Depending on the contract, you may also receive benefits such as group insurance for health, dental and vision care, retirement packages, and training benefits of up to 30% of your hourly rate.

If you are self-employed, it’s up to you to arrange your own benefits.

* Wages vary across Canada, among labour organizations locals and among open-shop construction contractors.

** Most construction work involves overtime, so your annual salary will vary depending on the number of hours you work. The salary range listed above represents the annual salary range for full-time journeyperson carpenters across Canada, based on a 40-hour work week, without taking overtime into account.

Building your career

With experience and additional training, you can move into supervisory positions, such as foreman or construction superintendent. You can also become self-employed and work as a contractor or subcontractor.

As with most careers in the construction industry, your skills are portable. If you want to move, you can take your skills with you.

Job prospects

Construction careers across Canada are booming! To learn about the forecast for carpenters, check out Job prospects. There you’ll find information on the expected demand by province for carpenters from 2006 to 2014.

Related Alberta Jobs:

1. Heavy Equipment Mechanic
Heavy Equipment Mechanic Also known as: construction equipment mechanic diesel mechanic, heavy equipment farm equipment mechanic ...
2. Millwright
Millwright Also known as: construction millwright industrial mechanic industrial mechanic apprentice maintenance millwright millwright...
3. Roofer
Roofer Also known as: apprentice roofer asphalt roofer built-up roofer flat roofer residential steep roofer shingler single-ply...
4. Electrician
Do you have good communication and reading skills? Do you have a knack for math and working with mechanical things? Are you good with your hands and in...
5. Plumber
Plumber Also known as: maintenance plumber plumber apprentice plumbing mechanic   Are you looking for on-the-job...