Reed,

How do I get from my 2nd class C to a high pressure license? Most companies want a high pressure license for you to get the job, but to get the license you have to have to have the time on a high pressure boiler. It's a case of the dog chasing his tail. Any suggestion?

Gary

I sent an email to Joel for a response to this.  I would rather wait and answer this after he comments.

Thanks for the post.

Reed

The “C” class licenses still hold the same qualifications as a Special license.  The “C” class license can still be in charge of high pressure boilers up to 30 horsepower, and be a shift engineer on high pressure boilers up to 100 horsepower, over 100 horsepower they must be under direct supervision of the properly licensed engineer.

The only way to upgrade a license is to gain the operating experience required for that license.  To receive credit for the operating experience the attendance must be in compliance with Minnesota Rule 5225.1180.

Please call or email me if you have any other questions.

Sincerely,

Joel T. Amato

Chief Boiler Inspector

Reed,

Are there any internships or apprentice programs availible for individuals seeking a high pressure license in the state of Minnesota?

Gary

Gary,

Thanks for the question.

I am aware of very few.  Last time I checked, ADM in Mankato had a legitimate apprentice program although I haven't been down there in a while.  You will also find apprentice programs at all the utility companies such as Excel Energy.  There are also a few at some of the paper mills and a few other plants.

As a whole, there aren't many apprenticeship programs out there.  There also aren't too many high-pressure boilers that are small enough to bill time with a special license.

In my opinion, it is currently very difficult to get a high-pressure boiler license in Minnesota if you don't already have one. 

I currently serve on the advisory committee for the dept of labor & industry.  One of the reasons I wanted to do this was to explore a solution to this problem.  As we go forward I will be discussing the issue with other board members and hopefully proposing a few changes.

In general, it is my opinion that we should decrease the experience requirement and increase the educational requirement to become a licensed boiler engineer.  Unfortunately this type of change would take quite some time because a very detailed and complicated educational requirement would need to be developed and approved.

I will update this message board post when I have more news on this issue.

Reed

Your certificate does not automatically qualify you for a Minnesota license, but it may help the inspections (testing) department determine what your experience may be worth.  I would suggest posting as much information as you can to these message boards regarding 2 things:

1.  What is a "Proficiency Certificate, Class II" and what are the requirements to get this certificate in India?

2.  "Corner fire water tube boiler" does not make sense from our perspective.  If a boiler is a fire-tube, then it is not a water-tube, and vice versa.  Please describe the equipment you worked with in more detail and describe with some detail what your role in operating, maintaining and repairing this equipment has been.

If you can give us this information we may be able to make a judgement call for you by asking the Minnesota Chief Inspector to review it and comment.

If you have any documents, images, etc, that would help describe what you worked on, please upload this information with your post.  I had an Egyptian operator provide schematics and pictures of his power plant in Cairo and that helped him get his Minnesota license, so it may be helpful for you as well.

Thanks for using our message boards.

-Reed

PS Do I refer to you as "Nitin" or "Khapardey"?  Some cultures use the first name and others use the last.  I'm not sure about India.

I almost forgot.  In answer to your question, the job market is very good here for a licensed operator.  You should be able to find work if you have the license.  We could help you with this.

Reed