Crane operators

A secondary (high) school certificate is usually needed to work in this field. Math skills are also required. The minimum age for tower crane apprenticeship is 18 years old and in B.C. you must be 19 years old to get a commercial driver’s license.

To qualify to work in B.C., crane operators need to either have their crane operator certification from BC Crane Safety or be in the process of getting their certification.

Certification is needed to operate boom trucks, mobile cranes, tower cranes and self erecting tower cranes. Operators who use bridge cranes or other cranes that are either under five tons or have a boom length of less than 25 feet do not currently need certification.

There are two different paths to becoming a BC Crane Safety-certified crane operator:

• Complete a three-year apprenticeship program through SkilledTradesBC
• Have a combination of verified work experience and some college or industry courses

Crane operators must successfully complete a BC Crane Safety competency assessment at the final stage of their training. The steps to becoming a certified crane operator are:

• Register with BC Crane Safety
• Apply for certification to be an operator-in-training under the supervision of your employer and/or apprenticeship sponsor
• Successfully complete an online knowledge test
• Gain on-the-job skills and document seat-time (time worked)
• Take the BC Crane Safety practical test for full certification

There are multiple crane operation classifications. For mobile (MCO) and tower crane operators (TCO), once they pass the final examination(s) of their accredited training program, they will also automatically receive a Red Seal qualification, which allows them to work in any province or territory. Workers with 6,030 hours of work experience can challenge the Red Seal examination.

Crane operators who are certified by a regulator elsewhere in Canada can apply for the same certification from the regulator in B.C. Under the terms of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), most applicants who are transferring their credentials from elsewhere in Canada will not be required to complete additional training or testing. However, the B.C. regulator may ask applicants to provide further information such as a letter of good standing, references or a criminal record check.

For those who trained outside of Canada and never received certification from any Canadian jurisdiction, further assessment is likely needed. Most occupational regulators have a process for assessment and recognize internationally trained applicants..

Contact SkilledTradesBC, BC Crane Safety or WorkSafeBC for details on how to apply for certification.

For information about labour mobility in Canada, visit www.workersmobility.ca.

View a list of Professional Regulatory Authorities in B.C.

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The B.C. Labour Market Outlook is a 10-year forecast of the expected supply and demand for labour in the province. It’s usually updated every year. The purpose is to provide British Columbians with the knowledge to make informed decisions on careers, skills training, education and hiring.

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The majority of new crane operator job openings will come from the need to replace retiring workers. Over the longer term, employment growth is expected to be average.

Demand for workers depends largely on growth in the construction industry. Government funding for capital projects is expected be an important source of industrial and engineering construction work.

Technological advances, such as the increased use of robotics and computer controls, will likely affect skill requirements, but is not expected to change the overall demand for crane operators.