# electricians in canada



## kenny_barlow (Dec 10, 2011)

hi
new to site so please bear with me. myself and my family are hoping to go to alberta via the federal skilled worker program. i am going as an industrial electrican and just wondered if there are any electricians out there who could tell me what exams i need to sit or can some of my qualifications be transfered. i have my C & G level 3, inspection and testing and 17th edition.

any help or advice would be appreiciated


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## Oggy (Jan 25, 2009)

Hi & welcome to the forum!  

I'm not sure if this link will help, but worth checking out ....

TILMA | Professional Or Skilled Tradesperson


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## kenny_barlow (Dec 10, 2011)

thanks for that i'll get in touch with them but think i'm going to see if i can sort out red seal cert before i go


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## sylvos (Oct 24, 2011)

Let us know how you get on as my husband will be in the same boat. We applying for PR at the moment but he will have to do the red seal exam for the electrical trade too!!!


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## guitsax (Oct 10, 2011)

*Electricians in Canada*

Hi guys , just come across your thread and although it is a couple of months down the road I thought I'd share my info anyway. I too am still in the UK and hoping to make the move and activate visas in July. 
You have to prove that you are eligable to challenge the red seal exam, ie, you have to have proof of your last 9600hrs as an electrician. You can print the forms off and fill in and then send to Industry Training Authority. I have copy pasted the response I got from them when I enquired. 
I have got my permission to write the red seal exam. My challenge was for Construction electrician in BC but I see now there is an agreement between Alberta and BC that we can write in either province. 
I could have gone Industrial or Construction but chose construction and maintenance because it covers more , ie, domestic; light industry etc. whereas with an industrial ticket you cannot work outside of the factory. ( not even on your own house)
I contacted the IBEW union in BC as I wanted to find out more and they said they don't cover Industrial electricians ticket there and advised that I go down the route of Construction and maintenance. This is the response from Redseal with link for ITA:


You can submit a Challenge Application to the Industry Training Authority as long as you have a mailing address in the province of British Columbia (we are the provincial agency for BC only). In regards to your second question regarding the hours the requirement to Challenge is a minimum of 9000 documented hours. We usually recommend that you obtain the most recent 9000 hours, as we do not require your entire job history for you to be eligible for the Challenge. You can review the Challenge information on the Construction Electrician profile: http://www.itabc.ca/Page614.aspx.


There are several important items to note when applying to challenge a trade certification:


1. There is a $120.00 fee to challenge the application. This is a one time fee. It is non-refundable under any circumstances. 


2. All documents submitted must be originals. We cannot accept faxes or photocopies. We strongly encourage you to retain a copy for yourself, as well as submitting your package to us by registered post, and retaining the tracking number for your records.


3. All employer declarations for work experience from outside of Canada must be accompanied by a letter on company letterhead from the employer. The letter should include the dates of employment, job title, a detailed summary of job duties and overall quality of work. It should be signed by an authorized representative of the employer.


If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at 1 866-660-6011 or via e-mail at [email protected].


Thank you,


Stephen

Customer Service Representative

Industry Training Authority 

Phone: (778) 328-8700 Fax: (778) 328-8701

Toll Free: 1 866-660-6011

[email protected] www.itabc.ca


Hope that helps -- if you need more info -- don't hesitate to contact me.
Guitsax ( Oxfordshire--- for now anyway!!)


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## belcher (Feb 26, 2012)

Do you know if you are limited to the red seal you apply for? 

I work in mining currently, but i would hate to be stuck in the industrial industry.

In Australia i am qualified for all types of work, is there a way that i can do both exams and get credited for both?


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## guitsax (Oct 10, 2011)

Hi Belcher, if you can prove the hours in either trade then you can write both exams , maybe not at the same time, you would have to speak to ITA directly or Redseal for the area you intend going to. As far as I know there is an agreement between Alberta and BC but for the other provinces I think you would have to do the Redseal exam for the particular province you are going to work in. 
ITA phoned my boss in the UK and asked all sorts of questions about my experience ( 25years construction & maintenance with the last 9years at a power station) he tried tell my boss that I would be more suited for the industrial ticket but that if I wanted the construction ticket then he is happy, so be carefull who you put down as a reference -- make sure they know exactly what you want to do. 
The construction ticket covers you for light industrial maintenance and it is a regulated industry whereas the industrial is non regulated.

The advantage of being in a Union is aside from the legal protection you will also be paid a fair rate whereas no union and you get paid what they want to pay you. 
Hope this helps.

Cheers 
Guitsax


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## belcher (Feb 26, 2012)

guitsax said:


> Hi Belcher, if you can prove the hours in either trade then you can write both exams , maybe not at the same time, you would have to speak to ITA directly or Redseal for the area you intend going to. As far as I know there is an agreement between Alberta and BC but for the other provinces I think you would have to do the Redseal exam for the particular province you are going to work in.
> ITA phoned my boss in the UK and asked all sorts of questions about my experience ( 25years construction & maintenance with the last 9years at a power station) he tried tell my boss that I would be more suited for the industrial ticket but that if I wanted the construction ticket then he is happy, so be carefull who you put down as a reference -- make sure they know exactly what you want to do.
> The construction ticket covers you for light industrial maintenance and it is a regulated industry whereas the industrial is non regulated.


so does red seal cover everything?




> The advantage of being in a Union is aside from the legal protection you will also be paid a fair rate whereas no union and you get paid what they want to pay you.
> Hope this helps.
> 
> Cheers
> Guitsax


i have allways been a union man


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## morriss930 (Feb 27, 2012)

Is there any job opportunities in this field in BC area?


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## guitsax (Oct 10, 2011)

belcher said:


> so does red seal cover everything?
> 
> As far as I can see yes -- all about familiarisation with the NEC / electrical code regulations and practices.
> 
> i have allways been a union man


oh yes!!


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