Skill. Value. Safety.
Building Trades of Alberta
We coordinate and promote the interests of 18 Alberta local trade unions whose 60,000 members work in the residential, commercial and industrial construction, maintenance, and fabrication industries.
Construction Trades Hub
Start Planning Your Construction Career:
- Explore the many skilled trades in Alberta.
- Sign up for FREE trade-specific learning resources, videos, tutorials and more!
- Use easy-to-access online study tools to help guide you through your apprenticeship.
- Learn how joining a union can support you in your successful career.
Path Forward
BTA’s Path Forward aims to instill hope and a sense of belonging among Alberta’s Indigenous youth.
The truth is, for many Indigenous people, desperation and despair are unfortunate realities that must be addressed. That’s why the BTA is helping Indigenous Albertans find a path forward by highlighting the rewards of a career in the unionized skilled trades and the potential for the skilled trades to lead to their success.
Indigenous Role Model of the Month
George Emery
A member of Treaty #6 and Kehewin Cree Nation, George Emery has dedicated over four decades to the unionized construction industry, beginning his journey in the early 1980s at the Strathcona Refinery in Alberta, where he saw union work as a means for stability, equality, and empowerment for himself and other First Nations individuals. Grounded in humility and a strong work ethic, George progressed from supervising large teams on job sites to serving as a training coordinator, where he launched the fireproofing apprenticeship program and provided essential safety education. His commitment to mentorship and community culminated in his election as Business Manager of Operative Plasterers’ and Cement Masons’ Union Local 222 in 2017, and later as Financial Secretary-Treasurer for the Building Trades of Alberta, leaving a legacy of resilience, leadership, and unwavering commitment to uplifting others through union solidarity as he approaches retirement.
George Emery
A member of Treaty #6 and Kehewin Cree Nation, George Emery has dedicated over four decades to the unionized construction industry, beginning his journey in the early 1980s at the Strathcona Refinery in Alberta, where he saw union work as a means for stability, equality, and empowerment for himself and other First Nations individuals. Grounded in humility and a strong work ethic, George progressed from supervising large teams on job sites to serving as a training coordinator, where he launched the fireproofing apprenticeship program and provided essential safety education. His commitment to mentorship and community culminated in his election as Business Manager of Operative Plasterers’ and Cement Masons’ Union Local 222 in 2017, and later as Financial Secretary-Treasurer for the Building Trades of Alberta, leaving a legacy of resilience, leadership, and unwavering commitment to uplifting others through union solidarity as he approaches retirement.
Building Resiliency
Building Resiliency is an innovative program designed to support the Building Trades of Alberta’s membership in raising awareness about mental health, wellness, and resiliency in the workplace.
Please be advised at this time our further funding request to the government of Alberta was unsuccessful. Therefore the program is deactivated.
Supporting Mental Health and Wellness:
- Develop skills for managing your mental, physical, financial and social wellbeing.
- Become a certified Peer Support through the Workplace Mental Health Leadership Certificate program.
- Learn about the benefits of a Recovery-Informed-Workplace.
- Sign up for Headversity, a free interactive digital service that offers confidential mental health support.
Apprentices and Training
The BTA affiliated unions provide the best safety training and skills training in the industry. Working with our industry partners, the BTA and its locals promote careers in the building trades through visits to high schools, trade fairs, scholarships, and much more.
Build Together
Build Together is committed to highlighting rewarding careers in the unionized skilled trades to underrepresented groups, including women, Indigenous, youth, and new Canadians.
Supporting Working Parents
We are committed to removing roadblocks to success, and barriers to progress, that are sometimes overlooked in the skilled trades because of the unique needs skilled-trades workers and their families face.
The Skilled Trades Advantage
The BTA coordinates and promotes the interests of 18 Alberta local skilled trades unions, whose more than 60,000 members work in the residential, commercial and industrial construction, maintenance, and fabrication industries.
The BTA:
- Promotes a safe industry.
- Works to influence legislation, regulation, and government sentiment toward organized labor.
- Creates and participates in alliances and partnerships with owners and contractors.
- Participates in boards, associations, committees and other industry groups.
- Develops programs that support under-represented groups in the trades.
- Develops programs that highlight the value of unionized labour to create more work opportunities for our members.
BTA News
Stay in the know by browsing our recent posts below.
How Alberta’s Union Training is Desired Across the World
Rob Calver, Strategic Engagement and Development Director of the BTA, and Chris Waples, Director of Education at UA Local 488, joined representatives from 12 Caribbean countries at the SAGE (Skills to Access the Green Economy) Apprenticeship Summit in Saint Lucia to share apprenticeship expertise and build networks across the
Building Trades of Alberta: Growing Apprenticeship Training and Rebuilding Civil Construction
Since its founding, the Building Trades of Alberta (BTA) has brought together union locals from across the skilled trades to achieve our common goals for our members, our industry and our province. Sometimes the road is tough. Sometimes the wheels of change are slow. But we are the Building
BTA Municipal Election Platform
Today, Albertans will elect new municipal governments to lead their communities across this province. This means choosing the next mayors and councillors who will be in charge of building the structures of our civil construction sector. For months, the BTA has met with local candidates to discuss how Alberta’s
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