Occupation
Boilermaker
Boilermakers fabricate, erect, and repair boilers, pressure vessels, tanks, and heavy plate structures. The work is heavy, code-governed, and frequently carried out inside vessels or at height during plant outages. Rigging, layout, cutting, fitting, and welding are all part of the same job.
Also known as: Boilermaker-welder · Plate fabricator · Pressure vessel fabricator
Occupation content
Part of Skilled trades, maintenance and repair
What the work involves
- Lay out and mark plate and structural sections from fabrication drawings and templates.
- Cut, bevel, roll, and form plate, then fit and tack sections into position.
- Weld seams and attachments to the applicable procedure and present work for inspection.
- Rig and move heavy sections with hoists, cranes, and lifting gear.
- Strip out, replace, and repair tubes, refractory, and worn vessel internals during outages.
- Work to confined-space, hot-work, and isolation permits and complete the associated records.
How people commonly enter
- A registered boilermaker apprenticeship with an industrial contractor, shipyard, or fabrication shop.
- A college welding or metal fabrication programme used to enter the boilermaking trade.
- Movement from structural welding or plate fabrication into pressure and vessel work with added qualification testing.
- A union or employer trainee intake placing candidates into supervised shop and field work.
Typical training: Apprenticeship
Licensing: Certification common, not usually required
Pathways: Apprenticeship route
Typical work context
Client sites · Physically active · Team based · High responsibility · Shift work · Outdoors
Related interests
Realistic (hands-on) · Conventional (organizing)
Related aptitude preparation
These are preparation links only. They do not measure eligibility for this occupation and no score here qualifies or disqualifies anyone.
Skills to practise
Practice suites
Related learning
Family-level learning links for Skilled trades, maintenance and repair.
Official sources
Labour-market facts such as pay and employment projections are not reproduced here. Open an official source below for figures, with its own geography and reference period.
- US BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Boilermakers · United States
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- Red Seal Program — Designated Red Seal trades · Canada
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- O*NET OnLine — occupation search: boilermaker · United States
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Labour-market context (not part of exploration match)
This is broad family-level context for Skilled trades, maintenance and repair in Canada, not a figure for Boilermaker. It does not affect matching scores and is not an eligibility determination.
This is a broad Skilled trades, maintenance and repair family. Explore the official profile for the chosen occupation; entry education and training can differ within the family.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Skilled trades, maintenance and repair: education pathways
Some roles in Skilled trades, maintenance and repair may be regulated. Confirm whether the specific role requires registration, certification, or a jurisdiction-specific licence.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Skilled trades, maintenance and repair: licensing
Find jobs
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- Search Canada Job Bank · Canada
- Search USAJOBS · United States federal
- Search EURES · European Union / EEA
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