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Parts Technician - Materials Technician |
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The Parts Technician trade merged with the Warehousing occupation on May 1, 2008. The Parts Technician trade now has two branches - Parts Technician and Materials Technician.
Select Alternate Year - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008
Materials technicians are involved in the movement of materials in a wide variety of industries including 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.
Materials technicians may be employed in many different settings and work with a wide variety of materials, and their duties and responsibilities can vary considerably from one job to another.
In general, a materials technician:
Materials technicians work primarily indoors, in office and warehouse environments, but may also work outdoors in all weather conditions. The work is physically demanding, requiring individuals to be on their feet all day.
Most materials technicians work a 40-hour week however; in large warehouses they may work shifts.
The work appeals to people who enjoy taking a methodical approach to their work, operating handling equipment, and keeping detailed records.
To be successful in the trade, materials technicians need:
Most materials technicians are located in urban centres where manufacturers, wholesalers and large retailers have their warehouses. Others may be located where large manufacturing facilities are concentrated in non-urban settings (wood products plants, petroleum production facilities, etc.).
For the foreseeable future in Alberta, the employment outlook for materials technicians is expected to be average compared to all other occupations.
Journeyman wage rates vary, but generally range from $14 to $28 an hour, depending upon the level of experience, region of the province and the sector of industry.
With the appropriate training and work experience, individuals can advance into supervisory positions, or into related fields such as purchasing, inventory control or materials management.
To work as a Materials Technician in Alberta, a person must:
Materials technicians learn their skills by registering with Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training to participate in apprenticeship training and, upon successful completion, are awarded the Alberta Journeyman Certificate.
A materials technician who holds a certificate that was issued by another recognized apprenticeship authority in Canada (province, territory or federal jurisdiction) may apply for an Alberta Journeyman Equivalency document under the Equivalency Program.
Materials technicians who have no trade certification but can prove that their skills and work experience meet the standards set for journeymen in Alberta may apply for certification under the Qualification Certificate Program.
Individuals possessing a valid Alberta Journeyman Certificate, an Alberta Occupational Certificate, a document indicating that the individual holds a certificate that is recognized as equivalent to an Alberta trade or occupational certificate, or a certificate that is recognized as equivalent to an Alberta trade or occupational certificate are eligible to receive a Blue Seal business credential after completing the necessary requirements.
The term of apprenticeship for a materials technician is 3 years (three 12-month periods) including a minimum of 1500 hours of on-the-job training and 6 weeks of technical training in each year of the apprenticeship.
To learn the skills required of a materials technician in Alberta and be issued an Alberta Journeyman Certificate, a person must:
Most employers prefer to hire high school graduates and may select apprentices from among their current employees.
Some employers require their materials technicians to have working experience with the type of product sold (e.g., automotive or farm implement materials) so they can answer customer questions about product use.
- during on-the-job training, apprentice materials technicians earn at least 65 percent of the journeyman wage rate in their place of employment in the first year, 75 percent in the second, and 85 percent in the third year.
- select an educational institution that offers training for materials technician apprentices, and a time to attend training (see Technical Training Locations and Schedule)
- determine requirements for enrolling at the selected institution, and forward completed enrollment form to the selected institution (see Enrollment Instructions)
When apprentices attend technical training, they are required to pay the applicable tuition fee and purchase course supplies.
Grants, scholarships and other financial assistance may be available. For more information see Financial Assistance or contact an Apprenticeship and Industry Training Office.
There is no Red Seal program for this branch of the Parts Technician trade.
To qualify for an Equivalency document based on a recognized certificate, a person must:
A person who has a recognized certificate, as described above, does not require an Alberta Journeyman Equivalency document. Because some employers may not be familiar with these certificates, the holder may choose to apply for an Equivalency document.
To qualify for an Equivalency document based on a non-recognized certificate, a person must:
An applicant who chooses to write the exam(s) must:
- review available resource materials (see Resource Materials - Materials Technician )
An applicant who chooses to have their skills and knowledge assessed (instead of writing an exam) must:
- complete the Equivalency Application – Alternate Assessment and submit it to an Apprenticeship and Industry Training Office
- pay the non-refundable application fee as identified on the application noted above
The Alternate Assessment process includes an assessment of the standards that the certificate is based on compared to Alberta's standards, and verification and assessment of the applicant's previous work experience, skills, knowledge and training in the trade. The application fee covers the verification and assessment of the applicant's experience in the trade.
An applicant whose trade credential from another Canadian province or territory is currently not valid (has expired) in the jurisdiction for which it was originally issued may apply to the Qualification Certificate Program to have their experience assessed and examined.
To qualify for an Alberta Qualification Certificate, a person must:
Time spent on supervisory or foreman duties, counter work, heading the tool crib, or on a training course is NOT counted as ‘hands-on’ work experience.
This application fee covers the verification and assessment of the applicant's work experience hours/months as well as one attempt at the Qualification Certificate theory examination.
- review available resource materials (see Resource Materials - Materials Technician )
To be connected to any Apprenticeship and Industry Training Office:
