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We make sure you are industry ready!
This short apprenticeship training is sure to spark a bright future. You'll learn GMAW, SMAW, FCAW and GTAW welding techniques to fuse and repair metal components used in construction and manufacturing.
Apply here.
For more information about getting registered as an apprentice, check tradesecrets.alberta.ca.
Portage College is also an approved test centre for the Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB).
Tristan came to Portage College from the nation’s capital after hearing about the program from a friend with an Alberta connection.
Portage College offers all three periods of Apprenticeship Welder training at the Lac La Biche Campus. Each training period is eight weeks. As a pre-requisite, students must be registered as an apprentice with Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training (AIT).
Tristan Patterson - Period 3 Welding
“I took a welding course in Ottawa but I learned a lot at Portage College - solidifying my own skills in the processes: MIG, TIG, Flex and Metal Core, Arc, Stick and a whole lot more.”
Apprenticeship Welding Students
Listen to what these students have to say about their experience when taking apprenticeship welding with us.
Domestic Apply
Use this process to apply to Portage College if you are a Canadian citizen, permanent resident (landed immigrant) or a protected person (refugee).
Domestic Funding Options
Browse through funding options available to students at Portage College to see what may be available to you.
Domestic Information Request
If you would like to receive more information about this program please use the Info Request Form linked here.
Career Potential
Employment as an Apprentice Welder. Higher levels of apprenticeship create opportunities such as advancement in the field, enhanced skills and responsibilities, higher pay and increased job opportunities. Each level is another step to fulfilling the requirements to obtain a journeyman ticket.
Admission Requirements
Period 1
Students must be a registered apprentice with Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training (AIT) and be eligible for identified period training.
Period 2
Successful completion of Period 1
Period 3
Successful completion of Period 2
Transferability
The technical training is the standard through the Province; therefore apprentices may take their training at Portage College or any college or technical institute in Alberta offering Welder Apprenticeship training.
Program Start/End Dates
Period 1: August 18, 2025
Period 2: October 20, 2025
Period 2: October 20, 2025
Period 3: January 5, 2026
Application Deadlines
Period 1: Until all seats are filled
Period 2: Until all seats are filled
Period 3: Until all seats are filled
Location
Lac La Biche Campus
Apprenticeship Welder Period 1
| Tuition | $1,044.00 |
| Student Association | $68.95 |
| Recreation Fee | $23.54 |
| Materials & Shop Fee | $77.00 |
| Total | $1,213.49 |
Visit Portage Bookstore for textbooks and supplies
Apprenticeship Welder Period 2
| Tuition | $1,044.00 |
| Student Association | $68.95 |
| Recreation Fee | $23.54 |
| Materials & Shop Fee | $77.00 |
| Total | $1,213.49 |
Visit Portage Bookstore for textbooks and supplies
Apprenticeship Welder Period 3
| Tuition | $1,044.00 |
| Student Association | $68.95 |
| Recreation Fee | $23.54 |
| Materials & Shop Fee | $77.00 |
| Total | $1,213.49 |
Visit Portage Bookstore for textbooks and supplies
Fee Explanations
Technology Fee This is a mandatory fee assessed to students enrolling in any credit course (except for apprenticeship programs) at Portage College. The fee supports the on-going maintenance and upgrades to administrative systems that support the entire College infrastructure.
As such, it is considered a “mandatory non-instructional fee” and, therefore, is subject to Alberta Advanced Education Public Post-Secondary Institutions’ Tuition Fees Regulations. Visa students are charged the same rate as Canadian residents for this fee.
Athletics & Recreation fees are collected to provide recreation and leisure opportunities that promote students’ physical, social, and emotional well-being, whether online or through in person facilities. Check out your +region in the link, to see what is offered at your campus or online.
Students’ Association Fees These fees are authorized by student referendum and the Board of Governors. They are collected by the College on behalf of the Students’ Association in accordance with the Post Secondary Learning Act.
Apprenticeship Welder
We acknowledge that Portage College’s service region is on the traditional lands of First Nation Peoples, the owners of Treaty 6, 8 and 10, which are also homelands to the Métis people. We honour the history and culture of all people who first lived and gathered in these lands.