Brad Moe

About me

I was born/grew up in: Chilliwack, BC

I now live in: Vancouver, BC

I completed my training/education at: Vancouver Vocational Institute

What I do at work

Right now, I’m looking after the level-one inspectors. We have a school onsite for teaching called the Centre of Excellence, where people renew their CWB certification. The regular instructors look after the new hires and the apprentices. I look after those getting recertified. I’m also the welding inspection supervisor in the lab.

My career path is

I welded for the first time in a grade eight or nine metalworking class. I've always been a trades type of person, much to the disappointment of my father, who was an accountant. When I was in school, I knew I was going to be a tradesperson. At first, I thought of becoming a mechanic. But I tried welding and found that I liked it, and I was good at it. So, I decided to follow that path.

I went straight to Vancouver Vocational Institute (VVI) for my first level of welder training. Two years later, I started at the shipyards here in Vancouver. They put me on what was called an improver ship, where they would teach you what you needed to know for the shipyard. After that, I got my CWB certification and became a journeyman.

Working in the shipyards exposed me to various aspects of welding. Whether it was new construction repairs or refits, there was always something interesting. I was on the Ocean Ranger, the exploration rig when it was here. I also worked on the sister ship, the Ocean Bounty. These are things that most people never see. I've had the pleasure of crawling through a submarine too. I’ve really enjoyed this life, and I’m certainly going to miss it when I retire.

I am motivated by

I love the shipyard. I love what goes on here. I love the “big steel”. I’m trying to offload as much knowledge and information as possible to everyone before I retire. I won’t fully leave the industry because I’ve been looking for part-time work to keep my hand in the industry and keep social.

How I affect peoples’ lives

I’ve done a lot of work with young people and helping them move through their careers. One young lady whom I mentored went through everything and got her certification. She has done really well for herself over the years. There are a lot of young folks I've mentored in inspection that came up through the ranks over time. It has been very rewarding to see them surpass me in what they’re doing.

Outside of work I

When I was younger, I used to work on cars a lot. I would rebuild the engines and things like that. Now I'm building a lot of boat models. I've gotten into building World War I and World War II naval ships, which takes up my spare time.

I’m also on the Board of Directors of Skills Canada BC. I also do cardboard boat races with the BC Construction Foundation. That’s where we get high school students to build boats big enough to fit one person. Then we see who can sail theirs the furthest in a pool. About 50 per cent sink before they go anywhere. The catch is the boats are made of cardboard.

My advice to others

Live it, learn it, love it. I think everyone, especially parents who still carry a stigma toward skilled trades, need to understand that welding is a great career. It might not be something you do for the rest of your life. You can get your Red Seal and become an inspector or a teacher or even start your own business. Just because you’re a welder now doesn't mean you’ll still be that 10 or 15 years from now. You're not stuck in that job if you don't want to be.