Welder Trade Regulations
made under Section 17A of the
Apprenticeship and Trades Qualifications Act
S.N.S. 2003, c. 1
N.S. Reg. 231/2016 (effective April 1, 2017)
amended to N.S. Reg. 172/2022 (effective July 6, 2022)
Table of Contents
Please note: this table of contents is provided for convenience of reference and does not form part of the regulations.
Click here to go to the text of the regulations.
Citation
Definitions
Term of apprenticeship for welder trade
Wage schedule for apprentices in welder trade
Welder certificate through trade qualification
Compliance with identity card requirements of General Regulations
Transition
Citation
1 These trade regulations may be cited as the Welder Trade Regulations.
Definitions
2 (1) In these regulations,
“Act” means the Apprenticeship and Trades Qualifications Act;
“General Regulations” means the Apprenticeship and Trades Qualifications Act
General Regulations made under the Act;
“components” means any ferrous or non-ferrous materials capable of being joined
by a welding process;
“welding process” means any of the following tasks, activities and functions
associated with welding:
(i) cutting, shaping and fitting steel using oxy-fuel,
(ii) fusion welding using manual oxy-fuel,
(iii) brazing and braze welding using oxy-fuel,
(iv) applying surfacing material using oxy-fuel,
(v) joining metals using soldering,
(vi) welding using shielded metal arc, gas metal arc, flux core arc,
submerged arc and gas tungsten arc processes,
(vii) cutting and gouging using electric arc processes,
(viii) welding and cutting using plasma arc processes,
(ix) welding using resistance processes;
“welder trade” means the occupation of a welder, consisting of laying out,
fabricating, maintaining, installing, modifying and repairing components using
welding processes, and includes all of the following functions:
(i) setting up equipment for welding processes using recommended
installation procedures,
(ii) cleaning and inspecting cut surfaces,
(iii) identifying metals and performing preparation and assembly tasks
before welding,
(iv) performing supplementary and disassembly procedures,
(v) sketching and interpreting blueprints,
(vi) using hand and power tools and shop equipment.
(2) A term defined in the General Regulations has the same meaning when used in
these regulations.
Term of apprenticeship for welder trade
3 (1) The term of apprenticeship for the welder trade consists of all of the following:
(a) 5400 documented hours of the combination of practical experience and the
portion of technical training spent learning the skills of the designated trade
as described in clause 26(1A)(a) of the General Regulations and as
approved by the Director;
(b) related technical training as described in clause 26(1A)(b) of the General
Regulations and as approved by the Director;
(c) a certification examination.
(2) Any probationary period included in a term of apprenticeship for the welder trade
as permitted by subsection 12(2) of the General Regulations must be no longer
than 3 months.
4 [repealed]
Wage schedule for apprentices in welder trade
5 (1) Subject to subsection (2) and to subsection 25(3) of the General Regulations, the
minimum wage for each hour worked by a welder apprentice in a level of their
term of apprenticeship is a percentage of the wage for a welder journeyperson in
the same place of employment, as set out in the following table:
Wages for Welder Apprentice
|
Level of
Apprenticeship
|
Hours in Level of
Apprenticeship
|
Minimum Wage
(% of journeyperson’s wage)
|
1
|
0–1800
|
65%
|
2
|
1801–3600
|
75%
|
3
|
3601-5400
|
90%
|
(2) An employer must not employ a welder apprentice at a wage for actual hours
worked that is lower than the wage that would be paid at the minimum wage rate
prescribed in the Minimum Wage Order (General) made under the Labour
Standards Code.
Welder certificate through trade qualification
6 The practical experience in the designated trade that is required by paragraph
30(1)(a)(ii)(A) of the General Regulations for a person who does not hold a certificate of
apprenticeship and is applying for a certificate of qualification in the welder trade is
completion of practical experience in all of the following areas:
(a) position pipe or plate welding with open root preparation;
(b) shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) for the flat, horizontal, vertical and
overhead positions;
(c) at least 1 of the following welding processes:
(i) gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) for the, flat, horizontal, vertical
and overhead positions,
(ii) gas metal arc welding (GMAW) for the flat, horizontal, vertical and
overhead positions,
(iii) flux cored arc welding (FCAW) for the flat, horizontal, vertical and
overhead positions.
(2) The period of employment in the designated trade that is required by paragraph
30(1)(a)(ii)(B) of the General Regulations for a person who does not hold a
certificate of apprenticeship and is applying for a certificate of qualification in the
welder trade is 8100 hours.
Compliance with identity card requirements of General Regulations
7 For the purposes of Section 34 of the General Regulations, which requires an apprentice
or journeyperson to keep their identity card in their possession when practising the
designated trade and produce it on request, a person is practising the welder trade while
the person is doing any of the following:
(a) for an apprentice,
(i) acquiring practical experience in the trade, or
(ii) learning the skills of the trade during the technical training portion of
apprenticeship training;
(b) for a journeyperson, performing the duties of the trade as defined in these
regulations or their duties as set out in the General Regulations.
Transition
8 A person who, immediately before the coming into force of these regulations, was an
apprentice in an apprenticeship program under the Welder Trade Regulations, N.S. Reg.
24/2015, continues as an apprentice in that apprenticeship program under these
regulations.
The following regulations are not
yet in force and are not included in the current consolidation: