Internationally Trained Electricians

An electrician trained in a country other than Canada.

Contact the Canadian embassy or consulate nearest you. Training and certification of electricians in Canada are responsibilities of each province and territory. So, it would be useful to know which province or territory you plan on settling, in which case you should direct your specific question to the apprenticeship office for the province or territory in which you plan to work. Verify the specific requirements with your local apprenticeship office.

All license documentation outlining your work history, trade school diplomas and work hours -include letters from employers, unions, and other documents that describe your training and the work tasks you have performed. These documents must also show where and for how long you have worked as an electrician. It is important to include as much information as possible about your years of experience and your duties at work, because the evaluation of your skills will be based on your on-the-job experience. Verify the specific requirements with your local apprenticeship office.

A Statutory Declaration, a document filled out and signed by you, outlining your work history, your training and the work tasks you have performed, trade school diplomas and work hours. Include contact information for employers or unions, and any other documents that show where and for how long you have worked as an electrician. It is important to include as much information as possible about your years of experience and your duties at work, because the evaluation of your skills will be based on your on-the-job experience. Verify the specific requirements with your local apprenticeship office

If these documents are in a language other than English or French, bring a translation that is signed by a registered translator, a notary public, or a lawyer.

Although there are many similarities in these occupations, the skills required of an electrician are hands-on, and very different from the duties of electrical engineers, technicians, and technologists. Electrical engineers, technicians, and technologists must show proof that they have hands-on experience as an electrician.

There is no automatic certification for Internationally Trained electricians, but there is an assessment process that evaluates your training and experience. The length of time that it will take you to become certified will depend on how closely your training and experience match the training standards for electricians in Canada. It can take as little as a week if you have the equivalent training, or as long as five years if you need to get work experience or to complete an apprenticeship.

A “construction electrician” defines a person who, because of his or her knowledge, training and abilities, is capable of laying out, installing, testing, troubleshooting, and repairing electrical systems, which provides light, heat, communications, and power to a variety of new and existing residential, commercial, and industrial structures.

A “domestic and rural electrician” performs the work of an electrician in the construction, erection, repair, remodeling or alteration of houses, multiple dwelling buildings containing six or fewer dwellings, or buildings or structures used for farming, or who performs maintenance to electrical equipment in houses, multiple dwelling buildings containing six or fewer dwellings or farms.

An “industrial electrician” is a skilled individual who must possess fundamental and specialized knowledge and skills related to the installation and maintenance of electrical devices and components found in industrial settings. Industrial electricians inspect, install, troubleshoot, repair and service (includes calibration and preventive/predictive maintenance) electrical equipment such as motors, generators, pumps, heavy duty machines, illumination systems, environmental regulating systems, communication systems; and associated electrical and electronic controls.

Certification for a “construction and maintenance” electrician is compulsory in Canada. Certification for a “domestic and rural” electrician is compulsory in some jurisdictions, but voluntary, in others. Certification for an “industrial” electrician is compulsory in some jurisdictions, but voluntary, in others.

The Certificate of Qualification is actual government document that certifies you to work as an electrician – commonly called a “C of Q” or a” license.”

A certified electrician.

A Certificate of Qualification or as it is commonly called a “C of Q”

A temporary “license” granted by the apprenticeship office in order to work as an electrician while preparing to write the Electrician’s License exam. Verify the specific requirements with your local apprenticeship office.

The license is the certification providing assurance that you are qualified to a standard of knowledge and competency justifying your professional wage.

The Red Seal represents recognition of qualifications in all provinces and territories as well as an interprovincial standard of excellence for the skilled trades. This means that a certified journeyperson with a Red Seal has automatic recognition to work in any province or territory. A person without the Red Seal certified in a Red Seal trade or a person certified in a non – Red Seal trade could be subject to a skills assessment prior to being certified to practice the same trade in another jurisdiction. Even when an electrician license is compulsory and also a Red Seal trade, it is not compulsory for a worker to obtain the Red Seal.

The Red Seal is the only credential that grants a worker automatic recognition in each province and territory in Canada where that occupation is regulated. The Red Seal allows for better employment opportunities, labour mobility across Canada, and provides a competitive hiring advantage that provides assurance of quality workmanship.

Unless you’ve started the trade through a Union apprenticeship, Unions generally only allow licensed electricians to join as new members. You should always verify the specific requirements with the individual union you are interested in joining.

Yes

A certified journeyperson with a Red Seal “C of Q “is automatically recognized to work in any province or territory whereas a person certified in a Red Seal trade without the Red Seal or a person certified in a non – Red Seal trade could be subject to a skills assessment prior to being certified to practice the same trade in another jurisdiction.

A Provincial Electrician’s License to work as an electrical contractor in a Province where this license is a compulsory requirement. Generally speaking, this license issued to an individual who has demonstrated at least 2 to 3 years experience in the electrical trade as a journeyperson electrician carrying out work under a valid C of Q. In Ontario a Professional Engineer, a Certified Electrical Technician, or a Certified Electrical Technologist can also qualify. Read More.

For a sole proprietor who will be operating an Electrical Contracting Business and for an electrician will be employed as a Designated Master Electrician for an Electrical Contracting Business. Verify the specific requirements with your local safety authority office.

Marvin Rosenberg is the author of the exam prep material. He has been an electrician for more than 30 years with hands-on, multi-faceted experience in the electrical trade. He is a Master Electrician and a former Master Electrician Examiner who started teaching apprentices part time in the 1980’s. Marvin Rosenberg is the electrical course developer and advisor in the Centre for Continuous Learning (CCL) at George Brown College and continues to enjoy teaching Pre-exam courses for 309A Construction and Maintenance Electrician, 309C Domestic and Rural Electrician, and Master Electrician.