Looking for a career that is challenging, one that pays well and has employers seeking you out? Consider an apprenticeship in the Sheet Metal trade.

Being employed in the sheet metal trade means you could be working in a shop environment or working on a job site. Some of the responsibilities of sheet metal workers include:

• Reading blueprints and specifications
• Layout and fabrication
• Installation of sheet metal systems
• Altering existing systems
• Welding

Sheet metal workers fabricate, assemble, and install a variety of sheet metal products. Typical jobs performed by a sheet metal worker include HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) ductwork, and industrial sheet metal work. They also work on hospital and kitchen equipment (stainless steel), industrial exhaust systems, residential sheet metal work, architectural, roofing and flashing (copper, aluminum, stainless steel and galvanized iron).

Want to learn more about our trade? We suggest any or all of the following: browse through our web site, make an appointment to come in and tour our facilities, go out and visit a sheet metal shop in your neighbourhood, or view this career video.

There are two ways of beginning your new career as a sheet metal apprentice:

1. Take a look at our Sheet Metal Worker Foundation program. The intake for the program is twice a year with classes beginning in Sept. and Feb. At the end of the 20 weeks of training you will have gained the basic skills to obtain employment in the Sheet Metal industry. At that time interviews with local contractors are scheduled for students seeking employment. The Sheet Metal Worker Foundation program qualifies you for Level One of your apprenticeship with the Industry Training Authority.
2. Find employment with a sheet metal company who will register you with the Industry Training Authority (ITA). In this option, you are indentured to a company as an apprentice sheet metal worker, learning basic sheet metal skills while you are employed. The advantage here is that you earn while you learn.

For more information on this program, contact Admission & Registration and for additional information about starting an apprenticeship, contact BCIT’s Apprenticeship Training services.

As an apprentice, the skills you acquire will come from a combination of technical in-school instruction and working in industry to gain practical on-the-job experiences.

At BCIT, you will be taught by instructors who are qualified in all aspects of the trade. Your time will be split into classroom and shop activities where you will be in groups of up to 16 students per class. The program is designed so that comprehensive instructions are followed by a series of assignments and practical projects to give you the opportunity to hone your skills.

In the Sheet Metal program, you will learn the core skills necessary to succeed in the trade. The program is organized in a logical sequence, starting with topics such as:

• Safe work practices
• Solving mathematical problems
• Learning the different metals and their properties
• Pattern development
• Field installations
• Welding theory and practical
• Shopwork theory and practical

The program is designed so that comprehensive instructions are followed by a series of assignments and practical projects to give you the opportunity to hone your skills.

Each level of apprenticeship training builds on the skills and knowledge you acquired in your previous year's training.

Each level of your apprenticeship will give you a different answer for the question, "what are my job opportunities". As you progress through the four years of the apprenticeship program, your abilities and expertise will increase giving way to more difficult and intricate projects.

Roger Hagan, Sheet Metal I.P.
Chief Instructor
T: 604-432-8242
E: Roger_Hagan@bcit.ca

Peter Brunning
Support Staff
T: 604-432-8235
E: Peter_Brunning@bcit.ca

Erich Moeller, Sheet Metal I.P.
Instructor
T: 604-432-8242
E: Erich_Moeller@bcit.ca

Perry Stevens, Sheet Metal I.P.
Instructor
T: 604-432-8242

Roger Hagan, Chief Instructor at 604-432-8242