Apprenticeship Steamfitter-Pipefitter

Home » Programs and Training » Trades and Technology » Apprenticeship Steamfitter-Pipefitter

We make sure you are industry ready!

Learn how to measure, lay out, assemble, fabricate, maintain and repair piping systems which carry water, steam, chemicals or fuel used in heating, cooling, lubricating and other processes utilizing not only steel but alloys, plastics, fiberglass as well.

You’ll learn how to join sections of pipe properly, read blue prints and create your own detailed fabrication drawings, manufacture supports and brackets for piping systems, and work with qualified welders to tack fittings and supports in place.

NOTE:  Period 1 of Steamfitter-Pipefitter is common period among pipe trades. Apprentice plumbers, gasfitters and sprinkler system installers are eligible to enroll in the same Period 1.

Apply here.

This trade is made for someone who:

  • Is mechanically inclined
  • Can multitask
  • Can creatively solve problems
  • Can visualize and execute complex instructions
  • Comfortable with math and science
  • Enjoys working in a physically active environment

This trade requires certification, meaning that a person must either be a registered apprentice working under the guidance of a certified journeyperson or they must be a certified journeyperson themselves. Portage College will help you earn this certification.

Career Potential

Employment as an Apprentice Steamfitter-Pipefitter. 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.

Steamfitter-Pipefitters have a versatile skillset, allowing them to work in a number of settings. These can include: iHospital and other commercial building construction and maintenance, pulp mills, ship building,  off shore oil platforms,  mining sites (both mineral extraction and open pit oil extraction), SAGD oil extraction, chemical and plastic processing facilities, LNG transportation and distribution centers as well as power plants of every type.

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

Period 4
Successful completion of Period 3

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 Steamfitter-Pipefitter Apprenticeship training.

Program Start Dates

Period 1: January 5, 2026

Period 2: October 20, 2025

Period 3: October 20, 2025

Period 4: 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

Period 4: Until all seats are filled

 

Location
Lac La Biche Campus

 

Delivery
This program is offered via blended delivery. Blended delivery means a combination of online learning and onsite learning

Apprenticeship Steamfitter-Pipefitter 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 Steamfitter-Pipefitter 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 Steamfitter-Pipefitter 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

Apprenticeship Steamfitter-Pipefitter Period 4

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.

Click here to view Other Fees for Service

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.

Apprenticeship Steamfitter-Pipefitter Period 1 Course Listing

Learn to apply legislation, regulations and practices ensuring safe work, use industry standard practices for climbing, lifting, rigging and hoisting, apply industry standard practices for hazardous materials and fire protection, use codes and standards that are applied in the pipe trades, and apply arc flash safety and lockout and tagout on a jobsite.
Hours: 18

TBD
Hours: 64

Learn to use hand and power tools common in the pipe trades, construct welded and flanged piping system components, plastic piping and tubing systems, threaded and grooved piping system components, tube and tubing system components, install valves, hangers, supports and fasteners for piping systems, conduct a pressure test, and describe pumps for piping systems.
Hours: 67

Learn to apply safe work practices according to Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHS) legislation, use oxy-fuel and arc welding equipment, and braze and solder metal alloys.
Hours: 33

Learn to apply sketching and drawing concepts, develop single line pipe drawings, and interpret drawings.
Hours: 23

Learn to apply calculations using both metric and imperial measurements, perform calculations involving perimeter, areas, percentage and grade, calculate volumetric capacities for tanks and cylinders, calculate 45° and 90°offsets for piping systems, calculate mass, densities and relative densities, calculate pressures in metric and imperial values, and perform electrical calculations.
Hours: 35

Apprenticeship Steamfitter-Pipefitter Period 2 Course Listing

Learn to apply scientific fundamentals relating to temperature and heat transfer processes, apply expansion and contraction control measures on piping systems, install heat transfer equipment and piping, perform latent and sensible heat calculations, perform heat loss calculations to determine equipment selection, install heat emission units, and apply the principles of buoyancy to equipment submersed in fluids.
Hours: 28

Learn to install and maintain hydronic heating systems, hydronic heating boilers, boiler trim, circulators and pumps, and install hydronic heating/cooling systems and liquid heat tracing.
Hours: 35

Learn to develop a lift plan for hand rigging, use fibre and wire rope for rigging, Use pulleys and levers for hoisting and lifting materials and equipment, use slings and hoisting equipment, use forms of communication for hoisting operations, and use scaffolds and aerial access equipment.
Hours: 50

Learn to install and maintain plastic and lined piping, fibreglass reinforced plastic (FRP) piping, cast iron, ductile iron, and glass piping, alloy piping, specialty pipe connectors, and apply techniques for pipe bending.
Hours: 22

Learn to perform trigonometry calculations, calculate offsets for piping systems, construct flange and gasket templates, draw orthographic projections of an object, fabricate a piping system, interpret drawing specifications, and locate piping and equipment from a set of drawings.
Hours: 48

Learn to apply knowledge related to the properties of gas, install and service gas line components, use test equipment to service appliances, and service pilots, thermocouples and thermopiles.
Hours: 34

Apprenticeship Steamfitter-Pipefitter Period 3 Course Listing

SF/PF 3 LAB/SHOP
Hours: 72

Learn to install and maintain low pressure steam boilers, low pressure steam systems, boiler piping and trim, steam traps, water treatment equipment, specialty steam equipment, and apply steam tables and gas laws,
Hours: 37

Learn to install and maintain control systems, and use emerging technologies on commercial and industrial sites.
Hours: 25

Learn to Use SMAW equipment, recognize the cause and effect of weld faults, select mild steel electrodes for SMAW, cut using the plasma arc, select filler metal, and shielding gases, use GMAW equipment, and Set up GTAW equipment.
Hours: 42

Learn to install and maintain control systems, and use emerging technologies on commercial and industrial sites.
Hours: 25

Learn to apply process diagrams from schematic to isometrics, fabricate a compound mitre elbow and piping systems, locate elevations using a builder’s level, and construct a dummy leg.
Hours: 44

Apprenticeship Steamfitter-Pipefitter Period 4 Course Listing

Learn to install and maintain high pressure steam boilers, high pressure steam systems, condensing and non-condensing steam systems, exhaust and cascading steam systems, high pressure boiler trim, auxilliary equipment on high-pressure systems, pressure vessels, HTHW systems, and cooling towers and heat exchangers.
Hours: 38

Learn to install and maintain fire protection systems, hydraulic systems, fuel systems, waste water systems, medical gas systems, heat recovery systems, solar and geothermal exchange systems, and identify the operation of HVACR systems.
Hours: 30

Learn to use coaching skills when training an apprentice, use Red Seal products to challenge an Interprovincial examination, perform critical lifts, plan for a new construction project, facilitate commissioning, turnover and start-up procedures, plan for a maintenance project, and apply quality control (Q.C) measures.
Hours: 55

Learn to fabricate a rolling offset, an eccentric reducing tree, a concentric lateral wye branch, a true wye, and interpret a revised drawing package.
Hours: 75