What are the requirements to work as a machinist in Alberta?

A person must be one of the following:

• A registered apprentice

Apprenticeship training for a machinist is 4 years (four 12-month periods) including a minimum of 1560 hours of on-the-job training and 8 weeks of technical training each year. An applicant could reduce the term of apprenticeship if the applicant has completed courses of study or work experience related to the Machinist trade or holds a related journeyman certificate and has the employer's recommendation. A Prior Learning Assessment though Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training is available for experienced applicants who wish to enter or hold an advanced  

• A Certified Journeyman

To be issued an Alberta Journeyman Certificate, a person must have at least Alberta high school transcript with a pass mark in Applied Math 10 and English 10-2 or equivalent, or pass the entrance exam or find a suitable employer who is willing to hire and train an apprentice. An applicant must also enroll and complete the required technical training each year at one of the following Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT)in Edmonton Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)in Calgary. Both offer training for machinist

• Hold a recognized trade certificate � The Red Seal Program

To qualify for the Red Seal Program an applicant must have a valid trade certificate in a trade that participates in the Interprovincial Standards (Red Seal) Program, or an Alberta trade certificate or completion of apprenticeship certificate, or a journeyman or completion of apprenticeship certificate issued by another Canadian province or territory. An applicant must complete the Interprovincial (Red Seal) Examination Application and submit it to an Apprenticeship and Industry Training.

An applicant may qualify for an Equivalency Document based on a recognized certificate as long as the applicant has a journeyman certificate or a completion of apprenticeship certificate with an Interprovincial Red Seal, or have a completion of apprenticeship certificate from another Canadian province or territory issued before the Interprovincial Standards Program came into effect, or in a trade that does not have an Interprovincial Program. An applicant should complete the Equivalency Application and submit it to an Apprenticeship .

• Experienced: work for an employer who is satisfied that the worker has the skills and knowledge expected of a certified journeyman or be self-employed   

To qualify for the Alberta Qualification Certificate, a person must have at least 9,360 hours and 72 months of �hands-on� work experience as a machinist (there are exceptions if the applicant has a recognized journeyman certificate in a related trade) or a certified millwright must have at least 7,020 hours and 54 months of �hands-on� work experience as a machinist. An applicant must complete the Qualification Certificate Program Application, submit it to an Apprenticeship and Industry Training Office and

What do employers expect in a machinist?

The most important Essential Skills for Machinists are:

• Document Use: as an example, machinists scan job tags or labels attached to parts to identify customer information and job number and to verify the job prior to starting work. They may identify job status or priorities by the colors of the tags.
• Numeracy: Have the ability to estimate and measure sizes and distances accurately. For example, machinists take length, height and weight measurements of raw materials such as metal blocks and bars using tape measures and scales. They measure to determine whether materials are of suitable sizes to produce specified parts and to verify that they will fit on lathes or mills.
• Critical Thinking: judge the suitability of tools and equipment for machining jobs. They consider the work process, materials and their own experience with different tools and equipment to determine whether the tools suit the purpose.
• Computer knowledge to operate sophisticated computerized machines such as a CNC burner.
• Manually skilled to utilize tools such as hole saws
• Physically capable of lifting up to 25 kilograms
   

What is the employment outlook for machinists in Alberta?

There are a variety of factors that influence the employment outlook for machinists. This includes trends and events that effect employment in the metal fabrication, machinery manufacturing, wholesale trade, personal, and repair industries. Location plays a factor as the employment outlook may be different in a rural or urban community, or in a prairie or forested region of the province. 

About 5,900 Albertans are employed in the Machinists and Machining and Tooling Inspectors occupational group which is expected to grow 2.4 to 3.4 per cent each year from 2005 to 2010 in Alberta. It is forecasted that 140 to 200 new positions will be created each year in addition to job openings created by employment turnover. (Note Since machinists form only a part of the larger occupational group on which this forecast is based; only a portion of the new positions created will be for machinists.)

Employment turnover is expected to increase as members of the baby boom generation retire over the

What industry associations represent machinists? http://www.ctma.com Canadian Tooling and Machining Association http://www.mtdmfederation.ca Canadian Machine, Tool, Die, & Mould Federation