Monday, March 16, 2020

Top 3 Reasons Scaffolders Should Get Certified

Advance your scaffolding career through certification

As scaffolding is not a compulsory or regulated trade in Alberta, how do scaffolders advance to the next level?

Traditionally, scaffolders have been able to work and advance their careers without any formal classroom training, simply by participating in on-the-job hours. Once a job was completed, scaffolders would collect a letter from their employer stating how many hours they had worked in the trade and took it with them to their next employer. By looking at their history of hours and work experience, their new employer could then deem them competent to work at the appropriate scaffold “apprenticeship” level (generally 1,600 hours per level).

However, as the trade continues to grow, more site owners and employers are expecting their scaffolders to participate in theoretical and practical training to remain compliant with CSA-Z797 and occupational health and safety scaffold training regulations. Below are the top three reasons you should get ticketed.

1. Stand out in your trade and maintain a reputation of excellence
By becoming a ticketed apprentice or journeyperson, you have proven theoretical and practical competency and shown dedication to the trade. As training requirements increase, it will be the ticketed workers who get hired first, while the others are forced to play catch up with their education.

2. Become a better-rounded worker, opening yourself up to more job opportunities
You may learn things that you never had the chance to learn while working on site. A worker could have 5,000 hours—which by most standards would deem their competency level to be that of a journeyperson—however, they could have spent much of their time completing first-year equivalent work.

3. Hold nationally recognized qualifications
Competency evaluations can differ from site to site and employer to employer. While one employer might pay you third-year rates, another could pay first-year rates because you aren’t ticketed. By completing technical training, you have irrefutable qualifications backing up your position.

CLAC Training offers one of the largest scaffolder training programs in Alberta accredited by the Scaffold Industry Association of Canada (SIAC). We provide new and current scaffolders with apprenticeship-style training, allowing scaffolders to become ticketed and advance to the next level of their careers.

Don’t get left behind, get certified. Contact CLAC Training for more information.

Top 3 Reasons Scaffolders Should Get Certified

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