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Home > Most Popular Questions
| Information for Mature Applicants. Mature Students Speaking openly and honestly about the trades and career availability is very important. We do not want anyone to think that they are unsuited to a new career as a welder, but there are some serious matters to consider when making the decision to become a tradesperson in mid life. The truth of the matter is that entry requirements DO CHANGE a little for mature students and we want to help you understand why the requirements change, and what you can do about it. Once students complete our pre-employment welding course and pass the Alberta Apprenticeship exams they must find a job as an Apprentice Welder. It sounds easy and it really is easy for those just starting out, but for those of us who wish to become a welder in mid life it can become a arduous and humbling task. The fact is, most companies utilize apprentices a great deal under the "and other related duties" clause. Most companies would never openly admit that they would not hire a 40 year old apprentice but if you put them to the test you will find out rather quickly that employers in the market for trades people are looking for younger apprentices; people who can be molded and trained to fit by their employer. That is the crux of the problem, it's a dilemma; do we take your money and simply hope you can find a job, or should we be upfront and honest and try to help a mature career changer make the right choice? We prefer the upfront and honest approach and have a suggestion to help you become a tradesperson, against the odds. The best way to make a mid-life career change into the trades and specifically into the welding trade is to start by making a list of people you know that are already welders. Talk to these people and find out about the trade. Welding is typically a hard, dirty job. If you were previously employed as a sedentary office worker who, like a lot of us are out of shape and don't like to work in inclement conditions, welding would be a bad choice regardless of employability after training. If, on the other hand, you know all about the trade and are convinced that welding is for you, then your next step would be to secure a job with a company willing to apprentice you once you complete our course. Go back to that list of friends and acquaintances and talk to them about a job. Mature employees bring a company a sense of commitment, are on time and tend to take a great deal of pride in their employers business and their own quality of work. These qualities make mature workers very employable, when you approach the right people! Once you find a company that is willing to hire you, please bring us a letter of employment and commitment to apprentice you in your new career, plus official transcripts of your high school marks and we then enroll you in our pre-employment welding course with the knowledge that you will be employed once you graduate. To summarize, know your limitations, talk to others in the welding industry, find an employer and then visit us with the documentation noted above. Above all else - do what you WANT to do this time around. Changing careers in mid-life is a very difficult thing to do so spend some time researching the welding industry and try to be sure that the change you are about to make is the right career change for you! |
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GRB College of Welding 9712 - 54 Ave. Edmonton, Alberta T6E 0A9 Phone: 780-436-7342 Fax: 780-436-7344 © 2004 GRB Enterprises Ltd. |
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