Welding technology one of N.B.'s hottest jobs
Huge demand means great careers, rising pay rates and no need to leave the province to work
There are still careers out there where the employees hold most of the cards.
You know the kind of job, where your skills are in such demand there are bidding wars to hire you, where you can pick where you work and where you don't have to move somewhere else in order to snag an excellent position with good pay.
That just about sums up graduates of the Welding Engineering Technology course at the New Brunswick Community College.
"There aren't many of these programs in Canada," says Al DeWitt, metals department head at NBCC Moncton.
And that's the rub.
With so few of these courses in the nation, coupled with the huge and growing demand for graduates, it means graduates are in an excellent position.
Employers routinely offer to hire the entire class of graduates, including this most recent class of grads who were offered in the neighbourhood of $54,000 per year.
"I don't think anyone took it, though," DeWitt says.
Some grads have seen their pay cheques climb into the six-figure range before very long, such is the demand for welding engineering technologists.
There's also a huge backlog of those wanting to take this course, with this coming year's allotment filled long ago and a waiting list that's growing.
This is not your average welding course, as you've guessed by now.
Entrance requirements are high school graduation with Grade 11 Math A and B plus one of the following: either a journeyman's ticket in either welding or steel fabrication; a recognized pre-employment welding or steel fabrication program certificate with either two years of industrial welding experience or participation in a practical testing administered by NBCC Moncton; or three years of industrial welding or steel fabrication experience and participation in NBCC Moncton's testing.
You'll also need a wide range of aptitudes because you'll be studying math, human relations, computer skills, report writing and presentation, welding safety, welding electricity, welding processes, metallurgy, nondestructive examination, fundamentals of quality assurance, codes and specs, engineering drawing, weld design and welding economics.
Emerging from the two-year course, you could become a specialist in the field, or a supervisor, a quality-control officer, an engineering assistant, foreman, consultant, instructor, lab technician or estimator, to name a few positions available. You will find yourself working in construction, pulp and paper mills, steel fab shops, shipbuilding, refineries and more.
"You will find them in all kinds of areas," DeWitt says.
With a host of mega-projects recently, or about to be, announced in many of those industries right here in New Brunswick, graduates can find excellent jobs at great pay without having to move away. But if you do want to move elsewhere, jobs abound. As well, grads with two years of acceptable experience may be certified by the N.B. Society of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists, whose certification is respected and much sought after in other jurisdictions.
With continuing education, they can also gain other certifications as well as their careers progress.
Welding technicians conduct experiments, tests and evaluate data to help welding engineers in developing and applying new and improved welding equipment, welding techniques, procedures and specifications for heat treating.
They inspect welded joints and conduct tests to make sure welds meet company standards, national codes and customer satisfaction.
The best of them are skilled in computer-aided manufacturing and automated welding systems, including robotics.
To apply to get on their waiting list, contact NBCC.
The course cost is the standard tuition fee for NBCC programs at $2,600 per year, plus textbooks and personal safety tools and equipment, amounting to another approximately $1,000 per year.
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