Career Categories Below this heading you will see a row of icons and names. This navigation allows you to view all the careers within a single category. When you choose a different category it will become highlighted.

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Cabinetmaker Directly to the left of this help icon you will see this work indoors icon that represents where Cabinetmaker work most of the time. If the person in the icon is standing outside the building then the work is mostly outside. A person inside respresents mostly insde work and two people (one inside and one outside) represent the work has a bit of both. By clicking the Details buttons to the left will open the page and allow you to read more about becoming a Cabinetmaker. After you have spent some time reading and you would like to find out what schools are offering training for Cabinetmaker click the Yes, use this career in my Journey button.

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Interior and Exterior Construction

Cabinetmaker

work indoors

Cabinetmakers build and repair custom or production-type fixtures and furniture made of wood or wood substitutes.

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  • Related School SubjectsDetails

    Math; English; Shop; Physical Education

  • Field of StudyDetails

    Cabinetmakers are employed in custom shops or are self-employed. Employment prospects for cabinetmakers change with changing economic conditions.

    In Alberta, 94% of people employed as cabinetmakers work in the following industries:

    • Manufacturing.
    • Construction.
  • DutiesDetails

    Cabinetmakers:

    • Build kitchen cabinets.
    • Read blueprints and drawings.
    • Make layouts and patterns.
    • Set up and operate woodworking equipment.
    • Cut, shape, mould and assemble parts made of wood or wood substitutes.
    • Sand wooden surfaces.
    • Apply veneer, stain, polish, or plastic laminates to finished surfaces.
    • Produce custom-made products.
    • May work with computerized equipment.
    • Discuss projects with customers.
    • Draw up detailed blueprints.
    • Estimate the amount and type of material needed and the cost.
    • Select the wood.
  • Working ConditionsDetails

    Location:

    • Indoors
      • In shops.
      • Noisy.
      • Sawdust.
      • Chemicals from paint, etc.
    • Outdoors
      • Not usually.

    Hours:

    • Regular Work Schedule (Monday-Friday 7:30 am - 4:30).
    • May be required to work overtime.

    Heavy Lifting:

    • Lift and move up to 25 kilograms and heavier.
  • PersonalDetails

    People working in this trade need the following characteristics:

    • Good eyesight.
    • Able to find woods that look nice and look for surface imperfections.
    • Good hand-eye co-ordination.
    • Works well with hands.
    • Able to look at drawings and imagine a finished product.
    • Enjoy creating things with hands.
    • Enjoy learning specialized skills.
    • Enjoy work that requires accuracy.
  • EducationDetails

    Most employers prefer to hire high school graduates.

    To work in this trade in Alberta, at least ONE of these must be true:

    • You are a registered apprentice.
    • You are an Alberta-certified journeyperson.
    • You have a recognized related trade certificate.
    • Your employer believes your skills and knowledge are the same as a journeyperson.
    • You are self-employed in this trade.

    To register as an Alberta apprentice you need to have:

    • English Language Arts 10-2 or equivalent.
    • Math 10-3 or equivalent.
    • or able to pass the entrance exam.
    • An employer willing to train you.

    Apprenticeship term:

    • Work on your first year in grade 10-12 through the Registered Apprenticeship Program.
    • 4 years.
    • 1360 work hours each year.
    • 8 weeks classroom training each year.
    • May take exam in final year to earn Red Seal and work throughout most of Canada.
  • Programs OfferedDetails

    Technical training is arranged by Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training and is currently offered at:

    For more information, visit the Technical Training Centre on the Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training website.

    Outside the apprenticeship program:

    • The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) in Edmonton offers a one year Millwork and Carpentry certificate program with a specialization in cabinetmaking. The entrance requirement is Grade 10 with English and Math.
    • The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) in Calgary offers a 12 week Pre-Employment Cabinetmaker certificate program. The entrance requirement is Grade 11 with Pure or Applied Math 20, or a pass mark on the Alberta apprenticeship entrance exam. SAIT also offers a Woodworking program through Continuing Education.

    Pre-employment programs for prospective apprentices and continuing education programs for journeypersons may be offered on an as needed basis by the institutions listed above or other schools.

    For current information about programs, admission requirements and mature student admission policies, please check post-secondary calendars or websites.

  • AdvancementDetails

    Job Opportunities in this trade include:

    Job openings are affected by:

    • Current employment rates.
    • People leaving existing positions.
    • Creation of new positions that never existed before.
    • Size of the occupation.
    • Location in Alberta.

    Future Trends:

    • More than 1,800 Albertans work in this category.
    • Expect an annual below average growth of 1.1% from 2013 to 2017.
    • Forecast about 20 new positions created each year.
    • Employment turnover is expected to increase as members of the baby boom generation retire over the next few years.
  • SalaryDetails

    Journeyperson wage rates vary but generally range from $19 to $28 an hour plus benefits (2009 estimate). Apprentice cabinetmakers earn at least 55 per cent of the journeyperson wage rate in their place of employment in the first year of apprenticeship, 65 per cent in the second, 75 per cent in the third and 85 per cent in the fourth.

    According to the 2011 Alberta Wage and Salary Survey, Albertans in the Cabinetmakers occupational group earned on average from $17.24 to $27.38 an hour. The mean wage for this group was $21.61 an hour.

  • Other SourcesDetails