Pre-Employment Welder

The Olds College Pre-Employment Welder program prepares the graduate to perform entry level welding of metals in the repair, maintenance, fabricating or manufacturing of a wide variety of metal equipment and components. The program also focuses on workplace fundamentals and occupational health and safety training. This program is the equivalent to the technical training of first year apprentice.

Welders use a variety of welding processes to join and sever metals for construction and manufacturing purposes. The processes they perform depends on their level of certification. Whether you are interested in entering the workforce, performing basic welding tasks, or creating works of art – this is the place to start!

What will you learn?

Welders join or sever metals in beams, girders, vessels, piping and other metal components, make metal parts used in construction and manufacturing plants, and weld parts, tools, machines and equipment. Welders typically utilize a number of processes including electric arc, gas welding (oxy-acetylene) and electron beam. This program will introduce you to the skills of the welding trade.

Upon successful completion, you will be eligible to write the First Period apprenticeship exam. (There is a fee, payable to Apprenticeship and Industry Training, to write the exam. This fee is in addition to tuition, books and supplies.) CSA approved personal protective equipment is required to complete the practical portion of this program. You may be required to purchase other tools and equipment for your chosen trade.

View Program Outline

Program Details

Credential: Pre-Employment Certificate (plus eligibility to write First Period apprenticeship exam)

Length of Program: 12 Weeks

Method of Delivery: Olds Campus

Program Intakes

Fall Intake: September 2022 *APPLICATIONS OPEN*
Winter Intake: January 31, 2022 - April 22, 2022 *APPLICATIONS OPEN*

Program Dates: Please visit our Dates & Schedules page to confirm start and end dates of your desired program and confirm campus closures.

Applications Open

Fall Intake: October 1 of the Year Prior to Start

Winter Intake: February 1 of the Year Prior to Start

Selection Process for Admission: First Qualified, First Accepted

Tuition, Mandatory Fees, Books, and Supplies: Please refer to the current Fee Schedule for details

Tuition: $6,440 / Fees: $475 / Books & Supplies: $290

* Please note that international students pay 3.5 times the domestic tuition amount. These fees are provided as estimates only for the purposes of budgeting. All students should refer to the Fee Schedule for the most accurate information and all fees are subject to change.*

Admission Requirements:

Meet the English Language Proficiency Requirement
18 years of age or older upon completion of the program.
Completion of Grade 10. Please refer to the Alberta Apprenticeship & Industry Training Board Trade Entrance Requirements.

Academic Upgrading and High School Applicants: Applicants currently in high school or who are completing academic upgrading must submit proof of enrollment and any available interim/midterm marks. Final marks must be submitted within one month following the completion of the course(s) and no later than one month prior to the program start date.

Alternate Admission Option: Alternate Admission status may be offered to applicants who have not or will not complete one of the academic admission requirements. To be considered under Alternate Admission Status, applicants will be asked to provide the following:

(Required) Transcript(s) showing any completed high school and post-secondary courses
(Required) Letter of Introduction and Intent, outlining the following:
- Introduce yourself
- Indicate why you wish to enrol in the program
- Elaborate on your career goals
- Detail your experience relevant to this program and the industry
(Required) A resume of your work history, extracurricular activities, volunteer service, etc. for the last 5 years
(Optional) Include copies of any tickets and/or certificates you currently hold (e.g.: first aid, safety tickets, etc.)
(Optional) Letter(s) of reference from current or past employers/coaches/etc. (maximum of two letters)

*Submitting Alternate Admission material does not guarantee admission*

Out of Province Applicants: Please refer to the Provincial Equivalency Chart for course equivalencies.

International Applicants

Olds College welcomes applications from international applicants and those who have completed their high school education outside of Canada. Please note, it is still necessary to meet all of the noted admission requirements, including English Language Proficiency. Further information can be found on our website under International Students.

Admitted Student Information

Program Dates

Find out when your term start and end dates are, so that you know when you are expected to be in attendance. For more information, please review the Program Dates & Fee Schedule.

Class Registration

You will be registered into your classes automatically. This will happen approximately 1 month prior to the start-date for your program. You will be notified once you have been timetabled into your courses. You will be able to see your class schedule in your My Olds College account. If you need to make any changes to your class registration, please contact the Office of the Registrar.

Technology Recommendation

It is strongly recommended that you come to Olds College with the following technology:

A device capable of running Microsoft Office, preferably a laptop

As part of your student accounts, all students have access to Office 365 for the duration of their time with Olds College. To access this you just need to follow these steps:

Go to portal.office.com
Enter your Olds College email address and password
Once logged in there is a button on the right that says "Install Office Apps"

This will give you access to the full Office suite on your computer, for both Windows and Mac based platforms.

Materials & Supplies:

The following items are required:

CSA approved steel toe boots
CSA approved safety glasses
Coveralls (two pairs)
Welding gloves (available for purchase in the Campus Store)

Other Important Information:

Safety Regulations: Wearing safety equipment and abiding by industry safety standards is mandatory within our program.
Apprenticeship ILMs: We use the Apprenticeship ILMs (Individual Learning Modules) as our reference material. These modules take the place of textbooks and are available at the Olds College Campus Store at 1.800.661.6537 or 403.556.4630. They are packaged by technical training period.
AIT Technical Training Exams: Students who meet the minimum GPA requirement of 2.3 will be permitted to challenge their technical training exam. The exam challenge fee is $150.00 CAD and payable directly to Alberta's Apprenticeship & Industry Training Board (AIT).