Exploring Red Seal Pathways: Indoors and Close to Home! (Part 4 of 4)
Not all construction jobs mean working outdoors and out of town. Check out these commercial and residential trades!
Not all construction jobs mean working outdoors and away from home for long periods of time. If you love working with your hands, but want to stay inside and close to home, check out these common commercial and residential construction trades!
Whether you’re a high school student planning your career path or already in the workforce and looking for a change, you should be considering a career in the skilled trades. In addition to the high demand for skilled workers, apprentices get paid to learn, opening themselves up to unlimited career pathways.
But where to start? There are many more Red Seal trades and career pathways than most people realize, so please join us for part four in this four-part series where we explore the Red Seal trades and the opportunities found within each. You can also check out other parts of this series with Metal Trades, Technician & Machining Trades, and Operating Trades!
Cabinetmaker
Description: Cabinetmakers build and repair custom or production-type fixtures and furniture made of wood or wood substitutes.
Apprenticeship: 4-year apprenticeship
Average Salary: $46,170*
Working Conditions: Cabinetmakers work indoors, generally in a shop environment, and work normal hours.
Required Traits & Skills: Enjoys creating products by hand, has good eyesight, attention to detail, hand-eye coordination, manual dexterity, and the ability to read and interpret blueprints.
Career Pathways: Cabinetmakers are employed in custom shops, or they own their own business. Many will open their own shops or move on to teaching and/or supervisory positions.
Painter & Decorator
Description: Painters and decorators apply paint, coatings, and other finishes to the interior and exterior surfaces of buildings and other structures.
Apprenticeship: 3-year apprenticeship
Average Salary: $57,417*
Working Conditions: Painters and decorators work at residential, commercial, or even industrial sites. They can arrange their work commitments so they will be outdoors in late spring, summer, and early fall, and indoors in the late fall and winter.
Required Traits & Skills: Good colour sense, manual dexterity, comfortable with heights, precision, and attention to detail.
Career Pathways: Experienced painters and decorators may advance to supervisory positions with painting and decorating contractors or set up their own businesses.
Drywall Finisher & Plasterer or Lathers – Interior Systems Mechanic
Description: Drywall finishers and plasterers surface, tape, and finish wallboard (drywall). They apply, maintain, and restore plaster and similar materials on interior and exterior walls, ceilings, and building partitions to make them more decorative, soundproof, and fire-rated.
Apprenticeship: 3- to 4-year apprenticeship, depending on the province of work
Average Salary: $52,598*
Working Conditions: Often employed in major centres where there is a steady source of work to maintain a full-time schedule. They may work indoors or outdoors, year-round. Commercial, residential, and industrial construction sites are common.
Required Traits & Skills: Attention to detail, good hand-eye coordination, accuracy, strength and stamina, problem solving, and creative thinking skills.
Career Pathways: Experienced finishers have the opportunity to transition into supervisory positions, project management, or become self-employed.
No matter your trade of choice, CLAC supports apprentices on their apprenticeship journey! Services include training, resume building, employment search, and apprenticeship pathway support. Learn more at clac.ca/apprenticeship.
*All salaries are as reported on Glassdoor for the Canadian Average. Pay rates will vary between provinces, sector of work and type of work.
Sources: Red-seal.ca, Glassdoor.com, alis.alberta.ca