The BTA affiliated unions provide the best safety training and skills training in the industry. Working with our industry partners, the BTA and its locals promote careers in the building trades through visits to high schools, trade fairs, scholarships, and much more. Alberta is facing a shortfall of skilled building trades workers. Our locals have invested in new, state-of-the-art training facilities to handle the increased demand. Contact the nearest local union office for your trade.
Not sure how it works? You will be when you follow this step-by-step guide. And if you still have questions, just follow the links to get answers to your questions. Check it out!
What’s not to like? Train as an apprentice and you
- get a strong job market
- benefit from on-the-job training
- earn while you learn
- can qualify for financial support
Find a Trade
Find a career in the building trades that is right for you. For each building trade, you can learn about the type of work involved, important skills and abilities for the job, and apprenticeship requirements. Follow the links if you have questions.
Bricklayers prepare, lay brick and other masonry units to construct and repair structures such as walls, partitions,patios, arches, fireplaces and chimneys.
Camp workers perform a variety of tasks, from baking, doing dishes, or preparing food to cleaning rooms, serving, or tendinng bar.
Carpenters construct, erect and repair buildings and other structures made of wood, wood substitutes, steel and other materials.
Concrete finishers place and finish concrete floors, sidewalks, curbs, bridge decks and other concrete structures.
Electricians install, alter, repair and maintain electrical systems designed to provide heat, light, power, control, signal or fire alarms for all types of buildings, structures and premises.
Elevator constructors install, modify, service and repair electric and hydraulic elevators, personnel and man-hoists, moving walkways, stagelifts, escalators and related equipment. Elevator constructors may specialize in construction, maintenance or repair work.
Floorcovering installers install, repair and replace floorcovering materials including underlayment, carpet, sheet goods (e.g., vinyl and linoleum) and tile in commercial, residential and industrial buildings. Floorcovering installers may also install wall coverings made of carpet or vinyl.
Glaziers cut and install glass and aluminum systems for commercial, residential and automotive applications.
Hotel workers serve in a variety of occupations, including housekeeper, cook, server, bartender, front desk agent, and dishwasher.
Instrument technicians install, maintain and repair the measuring and control instruments used in industrial and commercial processing. Instrument technicians work with a wide variety of pneumatic, electronic and microcomputer instruments used to measure and control variables such as pressure, flow, temperature, level, motion, force, and chemical composition.
Insulators apply, remove and repair thermal and acoustical insulation (e.g., calcium silicate, glass foam, mineral wool, styrofoam, fiberglass) on all types of industrial equipment (e.g., duct piping, heat exchangers, tanks, vessels).
Ironworker – Reinforcing tradespeople place and tie reinforcing material. They place and tie reinforcing steel, and post-tension tendons and related components to reinforce concrete structures.
Ironworker – Structural/Ornamental tradespeople fabricate and construct structural steel buildings, bridges, pre-cast structures, ornamental ironwork and join scaffolding. They erect structural steel and pre-cast components, install conveyors and other equipment, install miscellaneous and secondary steel, curtain wall and sometimes perform reconstructive work on existing structures.
Lather – Interior Systems Mechanics install a wide variety of wall and ceiling systems and exterior finishes, bringing various buildings to a completed state.
Construction Craft Labourers prepare and clean up construction sites, move materials and equipment, perform demolition, excavation and compaction activities.
Millwrights install, maintain, repair and troubleshoot stationary industrial machinery and mechanical equipment in factories, production plants and recreational facilities.
Painters apply paint, wall coverings and other finishes to interior and exterior surfaces of buildings and other structures.
Plasterers select, mix and apply gypsum, cement and acrylic mixtures to exterior and interior walls and ceilings to produce clean finishes or decorative surfaces that are fire, weather or sound resistant.
On a typical construction job, plumbers do the “roughing in” after the frame and roof of a new building are in place.
On a typical construction job, RACMs work with any type of primary or secondary refrigeration and air conditioning system, other than the duct work and sheet metal items associated with the system.
Roofers prepare and apply protective coverings to flat and sloped roof surfaces in accordance with construction plans and specifications.
Sheet metal workers lay out, measure and mark dimensions and reference lines on sheet metal according to drawings or templates. They also supply, install, service and repair air handling equipment, furnaces, fans and air terminal devices
Pipefitters lay out, assemble, fabricate, maintain and repair piping systems, which carry water, steam, chemicals or fuel used in heating, cooling, lubricating and other processes.
A teamster is involved in the movement of materials in a wide variety of industries including the agricultural, forestry, health, manufacturing, mining, oil and gas, transportation, and wholesale/retail industries. They are employed by organizations that produce, process and use products such as office supplies, tools and equipment, food goods, textile products, farm equipment or industrial supplies.
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.