Career selection: Carpenter 

Brief Job Description: Carpenters work with wood and light metals. They (re) build, repair, and renovate furniture and structures. They must be skilled in taking measurements to get an accurate design and be able to see that design as the finished product in their head. 

Education/Training Requirements: 

High School Diploma is the minimum, for entry-levels there are 4–10-month training programs. To get certified, you would take a 4-year apprenticeship program, but it is not mandatory to have one in BC (recommended though). 

Once certified, you can take the Interprovincial Exam, and then the Interprovincial Standard Red’s Seal. With this seal, you can work anywhere in Canada. 

Where can you get this education/training give at least two places 

1. BCIT Carpentry 

1. Kwantlen Polytechnic University 

What are the entrance requirements to one of the educational institutions that you identified? 

Kwantlen Polytechnic University:

There are four different applicant categories to qualify under: 

High School: Diploma from a BC High School or similar schooling system 

Transfer: Applicant with at least 24 undergraduate credits with a grade point average of 2.0 or higher. 

Mature: 19 years or older with no High School Diploma but must show a transcript of completed High School courses. 

Aboriginal: An Aboriginal applicant who wants to be admitted into the Aboriginal Admissions Committee. 

What is an option if you cannot meet the entrance requirements or are not interested in attending university? 

In order to become a carpenter, you don’t necessarily need further training past High School. With additional education it might be easier to get employed but it is not required. There are training programs you can take that last to 4-10 months, and after that you could get certified by doing a 4-year long apprenticeship. 

Identify the average salary or wage for the career or job (indicate if the information is not available). 

$/h (BC) Low-19$ Medium- 28$ High-36$ Salary: Medium: 54 080$ High: 79 290$ Average Salary in BC: 77 168$ per year 

What are the opportunities or future prospects for the career or job (indicate if the information is not available)? 

22, 350 people have this job in BC, 86% of them work in construction. 

90% work full-time, while 77% work full-time across all jobs 

10% work part-time, while 23% work part-time across all jobs 

48% of carpenters work full time, while 52% work part of the year, with 57%/43% among other jobs 

29% of all carpenters are self-employed while only 14% of other jobs are. 

Identify three other related careers or jobs in the same area. 

1. Cabinet Makers 

1. Home Building and Renovation Managers 

1. Wood Working Machine Operators 

Does this career appeal to you? Explain why or why not. 

I like the idea of working with my hands and being able to physically see what I am doing/creating. I find it very difficult to sit in a chair all day and work, so this job would work well for me since it is more of a hands-on task. I also like the idea of not being forced to go to additional school, it takes a bit of the pressure off knowing if I did decide to become a carpenter, I wouldn’t absolutely have to go university or college and my Highschool Diploma is all I need if it comes to that (I would do additional courses to up my chances of a job, but its nice to know I have a safety net). 

Explain what you have learned as a result of the career or job search process. 

 Something I have learned throughout this process is how to process information quickly and efficiently. I have learned that there is more than meets the eye to all sorts of jobs, for example before this project I never knew there was the interprovincial Standard Red’s Seal. There is so much information that we can learn, and yet we don’t take advantage of it as often as we should.  

Where I got this information:  

Government of Canada, Gouvernement du Canada. “Charpentier/Charpentière En Colombie-Britannique: Perspectives D’emploi.” Guichet, Gouvernement Du Canada / Government of Canada, 16 Aug. 2022, https://www.guichetemplois.gc.ca/rapportmarche/perspectives-profession/6388/BC. 

Careers in Construction. “Carpenter.” Carpenter | Careers in Construction, Careers in Construction, 15 Nov. 2022, https://www.careersinconstruction.ca/en/career/carpenter#:~:text=To%20be%20certified%20as%20a,are%20awarded%20a%20journeyperson%20certificate. 

Canada, Employment and Social Development. “Designating a New Red Seal Trade.” / Red Seal, 7 Nov. 2016, https://www.red-seal.ca/eng/trades/d.2s.3gn.1t.2.shtml. 

Government of Canada, Gouvernement du Canada. “Carpenter near Vancouver (BC): Labour Market Facts and Figures.” Carpenter near Vancouver (BC) | Labour Market Facts and Figures – Job Bank, Government of Canada / Gouvernement Du Canada, 16 Aug. 2022, https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/marketreport/summary-occupation/6388/39070. 

Bcit. “Carpentry.” BCIT, BCIT, https://www.bcit.ca/programs/carpentry/. 

Kwantlen Polytechnic University. “Admission Requirements.” Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, 4 July 2022, https://www.kpu.ca/admission/requirements. 

Pexel Images used in this post:

Onojeghuo, Clem. “Brown Wood Shred · Free Stock Photo – PEXELS.” Brown Wood Shred, Clem Onojeghuo, 19 Sept. 2016, https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-wood-shred-175709/.

JESHOOTS.com. “Floor Plan on Table · Free Stock Photo – PEXELS.” Floor Plan on Table, JESHOOTS.com, 1 Feb. 2018, https://www.pexels.com/photo/floor-plan-on-table-834892/.