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PARTS TECHNICIAN |
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The Parts Technician trade merged with the Warehousing occupation on May 1, 2008. The Parts Technician trade now has two branches - Parts Technician and Materials Technician.
Select Alternate Year - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008
There have been no changes to this trade in the year of 2009.
Parts Technicians manage and dispense parts inventories, which may include automotive, heavy duty, farm implement, industrial, recreational vehicle, jobber, plumbing, electrical, etc.
Parts Technicians may be responsible for stock handling, identifying and cataloguing parts and assemblies as well as ordering, receiving, inspecting, sorting, pricing and selling, depending on business areas.
The specific duties a parts technician performs depend upon the size of the wholesale, retail or warehouse distribution business and the types of parts involved. Some businesses specialize in one line of equipment such as a particular line of automotive parts; others stock parts for several makes of machinery as well as a wide variety of hardware supplies.
In general, a parts technician:
Parts technicians must be knowledgeable in the use of all in-house equipment, including computers, calculators, facsimile (fax) and materials handling equipment, and be able to contribute to the operation and principles of operation of the business.
Parts Technicians may work indoors or outdoors, which may include working in storerooms where large inventories of parts are kept, usually on rows of shelves or in bins. Working hours vary depending on the industry.
This trade is most rewarding for those who enjoy variety, working with people, working in their area of expertise, and participating in the customer's success.
To be successful in their trade, parts technicians need:
Parts Technicians are employed by wholesale and retail businesses and warehouse distributors that deal with all types of parts. Apprentice parts technicians may begin working as stock or receiving clerks or drivers. As they become acquainted with the different parts and their applications and the stockroom system, they can be promoted to parts counter positions.
Journeyperson wage rates vary, but generally range from $13 to $28 an hour plus benefits, based on local market conditions. .
Experienced parts technicians who have business and technical experience may advance to supervisory positions such as parts department manager, store manager or even store owner. With some sales experience, parts technicians can move into sales representative positions.
To work as a Parts Technician in Alberta, a person must:
Parts technicians learn their skills by registering with Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training to participate in apprenticeship training and, upon successful completion, are awarded the Alberta Journeyman Certificate.
A parts technician who holds a valid trade certificate from Alberta or from another Canadian province or territory may apply to write the Interprovincial Exam and, if successful, be granted a Red Seal under the Interprovincial Standards Program. The Red Seal is recognized throughout most of Canada.
A parts technician who holds a certificate that was issued by another recognized apprenticeship authority in Canada (province, territory or federal jurisdiction) may apply for an Alberta Equivalency document under the Equivalency Program.
Parts technicians who:
may be eligible to apply for trade certification under the Qualification Certificate Program.
Individuals possessing a valid Alberta Journeyman Certificate, an Alberta Occupational Certificate, or a credential that is recognized as equivalent to an Alberta trade or occupational certificate are eligible to receive a Blue Seal business credential after completing the necessary requirements.
The term of apprenticeship for a parts technician is 3 years (three 12-month periods) including a minimum of 1500 hours of on-the-job training for each year, 6 weeks of technical training in the first and third years and 8 weeks of technical training in the second year.
To learn the skills required of a parts technician in Alberta and be issued an Alberta Journeyman Certificate, a person must:
Most employers prefer to hire high school graduates and may select apprentices from among their current employees.
Some employers require their parts technicians to have working experience with the type of product sold (e.g., automotive or farm implement parts) so they can answer customer questions about product use.
- during on-the-job training, apprentice parts technicians earn at least 65 percent of the journeyperson wage rate in their place of employment in the first year, 75 percent in the second, and 85 percent in the third year.
- select an educational institution that offers training for parts technician apprentices, and a time to attend training (see Technical Training Locations and Schedule)
- determine requirements for enrolling at the selected institution, and forward completed enrollment form to the selected institution (see Enrollment Instructions)
Apprentices may attempt the Interprovincial Exam in the final period of their apprenticeship training and, if successful, be granted a Red Seal. (see Exam Counselling Sheets)
When apprentices attend technical training, they are required to pay the applicable tuition fee and purchase course supplies.
Grants, scholarships and other financial assistance may be available. For more information see Financial Assistance or contact an Apprenticeship and Industry Training Office.
To qualify for a Red Seal, a person must:
- an Alberta trade certificate or completion of apprenticeship certificate, OR
- a journeyperson or completion of apprenticeship certificate issued by another Canadian province or territory
To qualify for an Equivalency document based on a recognized credential, a person must:
A person who has a recognized certificate, as described above, does not require an Alberta Equivalency document to work in the trade in Alberta. However, some employers may require an Alberta Equivalency document as proof that the certificate is equivalent to the requirements of the trade in Alberta.
To qualify for a Qualification Certificate based on Canadian credentials, a person must:
To qualify for an Alberta Qualification Certificate based on work experience, a person must:
- a certified worker in the warehousing - basic occupation must have at least 4,500 hours and 36 months of ‘hands-on’ work experience as a parts technician
- a certified worker in the warehousing - intermediate occupation must have at least 4,500 hours and 36 months of ‘hands-on’ work experience as a parts technician
Time spent on supervisory or foreman duties, counter work, heading the tool crib, or on a training course is NOT counted as ‘hands-on’ work experience.
This application fee covers the verification and assessment of the applicant's work experience hours/months as well as one attempt at the Qualification Certificate theory examination. The Qualification Certificate practical examination requires a separate fee as identified on the application noted above.
