Fabricators build products using steel, aluminum, stainless steel and various other alloys. The need to maintain design efficiencies for weight and strength continually challenge the fabricator to work with lighter materials and more complex shapes to achieve the desired product. An excellent example of how much the industry has evolved can be seen by looking at what has happened to the design and fabrication of bicycles. These used to be made of heavier sections in order to maintain strength, but now we are seeing bikes made significantly lighter and yet capable of much higher stress loads.

1. When seeking a career choice it is critical that one looks at employability and diversity of the job and skills. These two factors keep you earning income for your needs and free of repetitive boredom.
2. The next consideration is how steady will your work be? In answering this question you need to consider the industries you serve. Fabricators are at the core of all constructed things:
• Buildings - office towers, arenas
• Ships - ocean liners, fast patrol craft
• Planes - jigs for wings and fuselage, landing gear
• Furniture manufacture - desks, chairs, sound shrouds
• Auto manufacture and accessories - guards, racks and hitches
• And the list goes on ...

View a career video.

Check the Apprenticeship Training Schedules to see available training dates.

Harmonized Metal Fabricator Apprenticeship

Due to the Pan-Canadian Harmonization Initiative, the Metal Fabricator (Fitter) Apprenticeship program has changed effective March 31, 2017.

New apprentices starting the program after April 2017 will be required to complete their levels in the harmonized program.

Harmonized apprentice levels will be regularly schedule as follows:

• Level 1 intakes offered after April 1, 2017
• Level 2 intakes offered after April 1, 2018
• Level 3 intakes offered after April 1, 2019

Current Metal Fabricator Apprentices will have the following options to complete their training:

Option 1: Complete the current program

Apprentices that began their training prior to April 2017 are encouraged to complete each level of training in their current stream as follows:

• Level 2 by March 31, 2018
• Level 3 by March 31, 2019
• Level 4 by March 31, 2020

If you try to register and the level is unavailable, please ask the Apprentice Services customer service representative to add your contact information to the interests list to be notified when additional intakes become available.

Option 2: Transition from the current stream to the harmonized stream

Current apprentices that need to transition to the new harmonized program will need to repeat the same level of technical training when they enter the new harmonized stream. The path to transition from the current to harmonized levels is as follows:

• Transition from current Level 1 to harmonized Level 2:
  Apprentices must attend harmonized Level 1 technical training after March 31, 2017.
• Transition from current Level 2 to harmonized Level 3:
  Apprentices must attend harmonized Level 3 technical training after April 1, 2018.
• Transition from current Level 3 to IP Red Seal Exam:
  Apprentices must attend harmonized Level 3 technical training after April 1, 2019.

There are two ways of beginning a Metal Fabricator apprenticeship:

1. Take the Metal Fabricator Foundation program. Completion of this program provides basic fabricating knowledge and skills to increase your employment opportunities. This foundation program qualifies for Level 1 of your apprenticeship with the Industry Training Authority (ITA) and will allow you to transition to the harmonized stream as follows:
• Apprentices that complete the foundation program with a start date prior to March 31, 2017 will be eligible to enter the harmonized apprenticeship stream at Level 1.
• Apprentices that complete the foundation program with a start date after April 1, 2017 will be eligible to enter the harmonized apprenticeship stream at Level 2.


2. Find employment with a fabrication shop that will sponsor your apprenticeship. In this option, you are indentured to a company as an apprentice steel fabricator, learning basic fabrication skills while you are employed. The advantage is that you earn while you learn.

• Schooling is 30 hours per week.
• 70 percent of this training is theory based, as this is not easily taught in a shop environment.
• Your lessons will be a combination of lectures, tutorials, and demonstrations in class and shop, augmented with field trips to local industry.
• Class size is restricted to a maximum of 16 students to allow for more personalized training and greater access to shop and classroom facilities.
• Assignments and projects reflect real-life applications of classroom lectures and theory, as well as reflecting the amazing diversity of the fabrication industry.

You will learn trade skills, which are practical skills applied to real life situations. You can’t compare high school, college or university to the process of learning that happens with us.

Employers need people who know how to get things fabricated. Our program breaks down the required skills into a list of competencies that are then delivered in a “competency based learning model,” which means: first you learn the theory, then you practice, then you demonstrate that competence.

The learning process requires your involvement. Throughout the course you will be presented with a variety of challenges, and you will gain knowledge step-by-step from instructors and your fellow students.

Metal fabricators are often selected to lead teams on projects, selected as department heads, and urged to pursue managerial positions. Fabricators are at the highest level of income due to their background of training and development.

Statistics suggest that you will experience at least four careers in your working life. An important consideration needs to be earning power and flexibility to pursue other education while working. This trade will give you tremendous shift selection, employment income, and transferability to other or related trades and technologies.

In a global marketplace, fabricators will continue to earn a premium due to their ability to apply technology and training to their crews, justifying their expense in relation to other trades.

So in a brief four years, you may elect to remain in this field or move on. The good news is that you will have a high paying career, which is a good base from which to make new choices for the future realities before you.

Our faculty and staff have a combined 120 years of practical experience and over 60 years of teaching experience. This translates into a huge source of knowledge that you can draw from. If after reviewing the information on our web pages you still have questions regarding steel fabrication please contact any one of us, BCIT's admission & registration or apprenticeship training.

Mike McKoryk, Chief Instructor
T:  604-456-1262
E:  mike_mckoryk@bcit.ca

Henry Ostermann, Instructor
Metal Fabrication TQ
T:  604-451-6833
E:  henry_ostermann@bcit.ca

Mohinder Soomel, Instructor
Metal Fabrication TQ, Level C Welding
T:  604-431-4940
E:  mohinder_soomel@bcit.ca

Peter Thomas, Instructor
Metal Fabrication IP, Med, BCIDP
T:  604-431-4934
E:  peter_c_thomas@bcit.ca

Mike McKoryk, Chief Instructor
T:  604-456-1262
E:  mike_mckoryk@bcit.ca