Career Mirror -- by Mark Sproxton

Standing on scaffolding six metres above the ground, the westerly wind only makes the day more cool. It has no affect on the huge piece of glass being hoisted into place. This is the last piece of the building to be put in place today and soon the glazier will help clean up the site and ready to return tomorrow to put the final pieces in place on this four-month job.

"You get a good deal of satisfaction seeing the job's done," explains Doug Burtch, a journeyman glazier and field co-ordinator with Alpine Glass. "For me, this is the (trade) with the most diversity and variety. You're never doing the same thing. There are dozens of widow systems, interior, exterior.... And in this trade, everything is finished work... the glass and aluminum are in the forefront."

Glaziers are people who fit windows or glass into buildings and motor vehicles, although there are differences in the training. Those who work on buildings must complete a four-year apprenticeship to become a journeyman, while those who want to work primarily with auto glass complete a two-year apprenticeship. Alpine does strictly commercial buildings. That means glaziers there will spend many days working somewhere other than a heated shop lifting heavy pieces of glass and other materials.

"It's physically demanding. It's not a job for anyone who's feeble or who doesn't like to lift," Burtch said. There are many different kinds of machines and tools to help with the lifting, but even at that it can be a trying part of the work, he added. "It's inevitable you'll have to lift. For dislikes, there's that and the climate. The winter can be uncomfortable."

But if you're mechanically inclined, a perfectionist and able to pay attention to detail, Burtch said the career has much to offer. But it's a career that almost passed by this veteran glazier. "It was a fluke for me. I'm originally from Ontario. I had aspirations of going north and getting involved in (the petroleum industry). The car broke down in Calgary. I went to the Harry Hays building and picked up a card that said: "No experience necessary." After that trip to the employment centre he spent 10 years in a fabrication shop dealing with glass and windows before joining Alpine in 1984.

Now Burtch is in charge of a crews as large as 10-12 workers and is responsible for ensuring all materials are on site as required, the job proceeds in a timely manner and that the work is being completed satisfactorily. He also works alongside the crew lifting glass, building supports for the glass with aluminum and using other materials such as caulking. All the while the glaziers ensure everything lines up plumb and level.

In the summer, crews on the large jobs typically worked nine-hour days and half-days on Saturdays. Some Alpine glaziers drive trucks carrying their tools and supplies and will do a few smaller jobs each day. And what about the winter hours? "A long time ago we did have a slow time in the winter," Burtch said. "But it hasn't been like that for years."

Even though much of the glazing work will be learned on the job, Burtch recommends taking the education route into the trade. "Get some experience in the field and register for the apprenticeship program and away you go. You're job is physically demanding, but that's not a bad thing. It keeps you in shape. And if you look after your back, there's no reason it can't be a career."