Certificate in Welding Foundation

Skilled Trades 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 weeks), the Welder B program (16 weeks) and the Welder A program (8 weeks).
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.

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

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).