Education · 1 of 4
The path
An apprenticeship, not a degree. About 80% on the job, 20% in class.
- 1
High school diploma
Grade 12
Grade 12 with math and physics is ideal. Some provinces let you start earlier through a youth apprenticeship program.
- 2
Find a sponsor
Weeks to months
An employer or union that will take you on as an apprentice. This is the hardest step. Pre-apprenticeship college programs help you get noticed.
- 3
Register the apprenticeship
Days
With your provincial trades authority, for example Skilled Trades Ontario or Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training.
- 4
Work and study
4 to 5 years
9,000 hours in Ontario: 8,160 on the job and 840 in class. Classroom training is moving from three levels to four between 2024 and 2026. Other provinces run 4 periods of roughly 1,500 to 1,800 hours each.
- 5
Certificate of Qualification and Red Seal
At the end of the apprenticeship
Once your work hours and school blocks are done, you write the provincial exam. Pass it and you get your Certificate of Qualification, the licence to work as an electrician. The Red Seal endorsement on it lets you work in any province.