Get on the path to a reliable career in the electrical trade.
With electrician training, your future can start coming into clearer focus. It’s a future that could involve physically and mentally engaging work opportunities, interesting variety, and outstanding financial benefits. In fact, by going to an electrician school, you can greatly increase your chances of finding employers eager to add you to their team. Pretty soon, you may be helping to ensure that Canadians have safe access to electricity, something that’s fundamental to our modern way of living.
Electrician Schools
Sponsored Listings
Sprott Shaw College
Burnaby, British Columbia
- Construction Electrician – Level 3 Accelerated
- Construction Electrician – Level 4 Accelerated
- Construction Electrician Foundations
- Electrician Common Core – Level 1 Accelerated
- Electrician Common Core – Level 2 Accelerated
North American Trade Schools
Brampton, Ontario
London, Ontario
- Construction and Maintenance Electrician Pre-Apprenticeship
- Home Renovation Technician
Why Becoming an Electrician Can Be a Smart Career Decision
1. The Future Job Outlook Is Very Promising
Canadians are always going to need electricity. And the demand for it will keep rising as the nation’s population increases and its towns and cities grow. New homes and offices will need wiring. Renovation projects will need improved electrical systems. And industrial and energy companies will require workers to help carry out major expansion plans.
A ManpowerGroup report from 2018 found that jobs for skilled tradespeople (such as electricians) had been among the most difficult to fill in Canada over the preceding ten years. Twenty-five percent of employers surveyed said it was getting more difficult to find qualified people for such roles. Opportunities could be abundant for people with the right skill sets.
2. You Can Earn Outstanding Pay
Many electricians in Canada are among the highest-paid tradespeople. And along with HVAC courses of training, electrician programs are among the more popular choices for people looking to join a field where the demand is always strong. From new construction and infrastructure projects to repairs of older wiring and power systems, the flow of work in this trade is always moving. And that results in some excellent wages, as you can see from the Job Bank data below:
- Construction electricians in the residential and commercial sector can earn a median hourly wage of $30.00 or up to $43.00 or more.
- An industrial electrician can make a median wage of $37.00 per hour and, with experience, as much as $48.08 or more per hour.
- A power system electrician in Canada can earn a median wage of $43.40 hourly or up to $56.36 or more hourly.
3. Plenty of Advancement Opportunities Exist
You can go after higher-paying supervisory positions by getting your journeyperson certification and much experience in the electrical trade. Or, in some cases, you can even launch your own contracting business.
Job Bank data reveals that full-time Canadian electricians in these advanced roles can earn median salaries of about $83,200 ($40.00 per hour). And some can make as much as $108,056 or more ($52.00 per hour). In Alberta, the salary for electricians at this level goes as high as $114,400 ($55.00 per hour).
Plus, if you are thinking about starting your own company one day, consider this: According to 2020 data from Industry Canada, the annual revenues for a small or medium electrical contractor in Canada range between $30,000 and $5,000,000.
4. The Electrical Trade Offers Many Possible Career Options
A real advantage of getting pre-apprenticeship training from one of Canada’s electrician schools is that it often covers fundamental skills that may apply to many areas of the electrical trade. For example, what you learn might help you pursue roles such as:
- Residential and commercial electricians—These tradesmen and women typically work for small or medium electrical contractors. They wire, repair, or renovate low-voltage systems for homes, office buildings, and institutional facilities.
- Industrial electricians—People in this trade area tend to work either for larger contractors or directly for employers like factories, mining companies, or shipbuilders. They deal with heavier electrical components like generators, motors, big storage batteries, and mechanical control systems.
- Power system electricians—Energy companies that produce, transmit, and distribute electricity are the primary employers for these workers. Sometimes called high-voltage electricians, they usually work on power stations, transmission lines, and other equipment that carries 100,000 or more volts of electricity.
Electrician Training Requirements
Earning provincial trade certification to become a journeyperson electrician typically requires working in an apprenticeship for about four to five years. Plus, many also earn Red Seal endorsements. During your apprenticeship, you earn pay from an employer who sponsors and helps train you. But it often helps to have a grasp of what the trade involves, along with some relevant skills, before approaching such an employer. This is where electrician schools can provide vital guidance.
Many people entering this trade find it beneficial to attend an electrician college before trying to find an apprenticeship. With less than a year of post-secondary electrician training, you can give yourself an edge when looking for a paid position as a new electrical apprentice.