Trades Trainees How Do I Get Started?

Gain Employment

Employment and selection for a Trades Trainee position with one of our Employer Members is the first step to apprenticeship training.

Find an Employer

If you’re interested in a career as a Power Line Technician, you’ll need to find a job with an Employer who will train and enroll you into the PLT Apprenticeship Training Program.  To see who our Members are view our Employer Directory.

Skills and Attributes for the Trade

Individuals must be in good health and should have the following skills and attributes to be successful.

  • Meet challenges of physical demanding work in all types of weather
  • Strong mechanical aptitude
  • Physical dexterity
  • The capability of working at heights, confined spaces, trenches and excavations
  • Good hand-eye coordination
  • Precise and detailed in work
  • Ability to read and interpret blueprints
  • Be able to work a member of a team
  • Adapt to changing tasks and locations in BC

Get a jump start on skills Employers are looking for

The following prerequisites are mandatory requirements for Trades Trainees to enter the PLT Apprenticeship Program.

  • Math 11 Algebra or higher program
  • Physics 11 or higher program
  • English 12
  • High School Diploma or a government recognized high school equivalency
  • BC Hydro Electric Utility Fundamentals (online course)
  • Class 3 drivers licence with air brake endorsement

The College of New Caledonia (CNC) Electric Utility Fundamentals online course introduces Trades Trainees to basic concepts required to understand and explain the systems that generate, deliver and sell electrical power.  Click here for additional information and to register online. 

Trades Trainee Registration

Upon being hired as a Trades Trainee, it is a mandatory requirement that you are registered with the JLATA and Local 258 of the IBEW. 

Trades Trainees (TT)

Trades Trainees are employees in an entry-level position that is intended to provide job and crew support, supervised exposure to the PLT trade and provide the Trades Trainee with the knowledge and basic job skills for entry into the Apprenticeship Program.

This is a minimum 6-12 months probationary training period, in which, the Trades Trainee is given an opportunity to acquire a sufficient level of understanding, and practical application of job skills to make an informed decision on whether to pursue the trade; and for the Employers to determine whether the Trades Trainee has the attributes to be successful in the Power Line Technician Apprenticeship Program.

Complete Program Prerequisites

Trades Trainee completes academic and practical prerequisites for entry into the PLT Apprenticeship Program.

Apprenticeship Training Prerequisites:

Academic

  • High School Diploma or a government recognized high school equivalency
  • Math 11 Algebra or higher program
  • Physics 11 or higher program
  • English 12
  • CNC Electric Utility Fundamentals (online course)

    Non-Academic

  • Class 3 driver’s license with Air Brake Endorsement
  • Registered as a Trades Trainee with the JLATA and Local 258 IBEW for a minimum of 6 months
  • Up to date Trades Trainee Log Book  (specific daily details of job and hours

    Practical

  • Minimum 6-12 months supervised work experience requirement with current Employer
  • Trades Trainee Practical Skills Evaluation by Employer

Application for Indentureship

Your Employer evaluates your practical skills and recommends you to the JLATA for Indentureship into the Power Line Technician Apprenticeship Program.

Employer Verifies Practical Skills

The Trades Trainee position lets your Employer observe and evaluation your soft and practical skill level to determine your readiness for entry into the apprenticeship program.  Employers are looking for Trades Trainees that have the right attitude, a keen interest in the trade and possess an appropriate level of practical skills for entry into the PLT Apprenticeship Program. 

Eligibility Criteria

Applications that meet the following eligibility criteria will be presented to the Board  on scheduled annual intakes for indentureship into the Apprenticeship Program.

  • Program prerequisites verified ;
  • Practical skills verified by Employer ; and
  • Employer’s ratios are in compliance with Appendix “C” of the Master Line Agreement.

Trades Trainees being considered are subject to skill asssessment by the JLATA to determine their readiness for apprenticeship.

Wait lists: Due to the limited size of the Power Line Construction industry, there shall be no more than 30 Trades Trainees indentured into the Apprenticeship Program per year.  Trades Trainees will be placed on a wait list and processed in order of date received, provided all program requirements are met.