how to become an electrician

role

Electricians help bring electricity into homes and buildings. They install, repair, test and maintain electrical wiring fuses and equipment through where electricity flows. There are many fields you can get into within the electrical trade ranging from construction and maintenance electrical with residential wiring to very complex fibre-optic connections. The future and career opportunities in the electrical trade are endless.

salary

The wages for an apprentice start at about $15 an hour, while a journeyperson earns about $40 an hour, $60 when benefits are taken into account.

EDUCATION

You are required a minimum of grade 10 education for non-union electricians in Ontario and grade 12 for those in a union. Having a high school diploma is not required, but preferred, given that math is mandatory to do electrical work. As per Skilled Trades Ontario, electricians must complete a 9,000-hour apprenticeship that includes 840 hours of in-class training. While this typically takes five years to complete, you will be paid a salary as an apprentice so you won’t need to worry about your budget. 

To become an electrician in Canada, completion of secondary school is usually required. Additionally, the completion of a four-to-five-year apprenticeship program—or a combination of five years of relevant work experience plus some high school, college, or industry courses in industrial electrical equipment—is usually required to be eligible for trade certification. ​​

Trade certification is compulsory in:

• Nova Scotia
• Prince Edward Island
• New Brunswick
• Quebec
• Ontario
• Saskatchewan
• Alberta

Trade certification is voluntary in:

• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Manitoba
• British Columbia
• Yukon
• Northwest Territories
• Nunavut