Construction Trades Essential Skills Profiles

Boilermaker
What do boilermakers do?
Boilermakers fabricate, assemble, erect, test,
maintain and repair boilers, vessels, tanks,
towers, heat exchangers and other heavymetal structures. They are employed in boiler
fabrication, manufacturing, shipbuilding,
construction, electric power generation and
similar industrial establishments.

Numeracy

What essential skills do boilermakers use

at work?

Reading & Document Use

Use formulae to calculate weight

loads, perimeter, area and volume.
Measure angles to cut tubing and pipe
to specifications.
Bisect angles and construct circles
from chords to lay out materials
for pressure vessels.
Estimate material
requirements
for a job.

Read code books to identify jobspecific procedural specifications and

tolerances.
Read reference books, such
as metal trades handbooks
to review technical
procedures and safety
guidelines.
Interpret welding symbols
on drawings.
Interpret and integrate
information in drawings
to determine measurements,
and placement of bolts,
flanges, nozzles and
manways.

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Essential Skills Profiles

Boilermaker
Thinking Skills

Oral Communication

Explain procedures to co-workers and

apprentices.
Participate in toolbox meetings to
discuss safety issues.
Clarify instructions and tasks with
supervisors and foremen.

Writing

Write production plans to sequence

and schedule tasks.
Complete accident and incident forms.

Decide which tools are needed to

complete a job and may fabricate them
(e.g. jigs, dog and wedge).
Assess potentially hazardous job
conditions and determine what action
to take, such as choosing appropriate
safety equipment.
Decide on when to correct substandard work or report it to a
supervisor.

What essential skills levels are required for boilermakers?

Trades require a minimum of level 3 essential skills.
Level 5
Independent
Learning

Level
Level 4

Level 3

Numeracy

Level 2
Learning to Learn
Literacy and
Numeracy Challenges

Boilermakers

Level 1

Level

3
Reading &
Document
Use

Translate complex problems into

mathematical operations and
formula. They use multiple steps
of calculation to solve a math
problem.
Put together information from
many documents or sections of a
document. They decide what
information is important and
make conclusions about what
they read.

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