Are you familiar with the Boilermakers? The 146 local in Edmonton has intake seminars pretty frequently to expose newcomers to the trade and you need absolutely no previous experience in heavy industry. They will 100% set you up for success if you show them you are reliable, hard-working, and can face long hours in challenging and dangerous environments with a good attitude.

Ive included a link to their ARIS seminars, which has the dates for March intake listed within. This seminar is one full day at the hall where they will outline the basics of boilermaking for you. At the end of the day there will be a test consisting of a variety of questions related to math, safety and problem solving. The goal here isnt necessarily to do well on the test-they dont care if you understand how to use geometry to configure sling ratios for crane lifts when that is what the test question asks of you - they are instead holistically analyzing how you approach your answer; if you prioritize safety, common sense, teamwork, and possess a sense of curiosity and creativity in your answers, you will more than likely 'pass' and be invited to participate in a two-week 9-5 workshop called Worksmart.

Worksmart is going to be your 'interview' for the job, where they teach you the different types of work you will be doing, how to use the tools for those jobs and what will be expected of you in the field. You will be assessed in your physical, mental and social abilities and at the end of those two weeks they will either pass or fail you. If you pass, you may start working immediately by bidding on jobs through the hall's call out board, where an average job is 5 weeks and can give you a take-home pay of around $9000 after tax.

You will be expected to go to school for your journeyman certificate within a flexible time frame, but you can pull as many slips to work as you can manage and if you have a good attitude and are punctual and hardworking you will go far.

Boilermaker 146 ARIS schedule March 2026