ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area getting a job while attending school??

As of now, and things do change, but very, very slowly. There is only Apprenticeship through any JATC (Union), and a handfull of other (Merit) Apprenticeships, and these "Approved Shools". http://www.dir.ca.gov/das/listofapprovedschools.html
Dare I say it, if your school is not on the list, or actively persuring getting on it, you may be wasting your time. You had better check with them about thier status on that.

To actually work: You need to be "Enrolled" in either an approved Appprenticeship Program. Or in an Approved School. And "Registered" with the state DIR/DAS as an "Electrician Trainee".
http://www.dir.ca.gov/DAS/ElectricalTrainee.htm

This law has been a personal pet peev of mine, and a few other members here at ECN for the last few years. IMO it has been mis-managed from the get go, and dont expect it to get any better in the near future.

For those of you who don't know this law was only implemented at the beginning of this year. And has eleiminated the "Casual Apprenticeship" of the past, where you could just get a job and work. (Which might have been a good thing...) Now, only "Approved Programs" of State mandated training are allowed, and I'm not sure they will be able to meet the demand in the near future. Classes are turning people away and closed enrolements. And Contractors are having people leave the trade, with fewer replacemnts available to them down the road in site.

For that matter, many of us don't know how we will maintain our own Certifications with the mandated "Continuing Edjucation" from "Approved" sources. They don't seem to exist yet....

So to answer your questions kojunho, you need to make sure you are in an "approved" program, then you can get a job, and then you can gain experiance. You may be able to do all of them at the same time if you play your cards right, but be advised you are entering the Trade in a very turbulent State right now....

how come the only schools on the list are unions schools?? i have called couple places and the application would take 90days to process. damn, i dont have 90 days to waste. seems like this law is all about the money

Here in Jersey the Labor Department programs, have been around, since the 70's, when they first started we heard all the same talk about , the old way was better, and it is all messed up, but as it turned out, it is a good system, and works well, the old way, you din't know, if you had a properly trainned guy, or how much time he actually had, the trainning was left up to the EC, and some trainned their men well, and others just took advantage of them, we have no problem, working with the labor department, or the schools, all our app, have been thru the program, and some have left, to go on, to bigger and better jobs.

For those out in CA, try to get more involved, with the state board, make sure if possible, get one of your Assn members on the board.

Look again. The link e57 posted has 3 union and 32 non union locations shown.

One more time.....
Let's please leave the union and non-union out of this. I don't want to have to close the thread.



[This message has been edited by electure (edited 03-13-2006).]

Scott, for the lack of better wording I was about to say the same thing...
(Edit to remove long historical rant... )

LK, without getting to deep, the board is kinda a new thing... We are also talking about a department that really existed in name only before now. This is the only trade that has this type of mandated requirements, at this point. IMO they are in way over thier heads, and have sat themselves in a machine that they have little understanding of. Essentially this is thier first real ball game, and they are just now learning how to play with others. On the same analogy, they have been playing stick ball against a wall by themselves for eons.




[This message has been edited by e57 (edited 03-13-2006).]

California did such a good job with deregulation, they just assumed they could improve this too.

[This message has been edited by WFO (edited 03-14-2006).]

electure & e57 -

When I view the link, I see only 12 schools lised.

""Approved Shools". http://www.dir.ca.gov/das/listofapprovedschools.html

Steve

Click on one of the schools, and you will open a page that lists the 35 LOCATIONS of those 12 schools

"California did such a good job with deregulation, they just assumed they could improve this too."

The same gent's at Enron who came up with operation "Dark-star" are in court on un-related items still, yet to be charged for that fiasco.

Likewise I doubt if anything will happen with this fiasco, as we have become complacent in having goverment beurocracies that are totaly inept.

Back on topic, I have called the schools and programs on both sides of the ticket in my area, and none have immediate openings, or viable plans to expand programs on the table as of yet. I have a guy under me right now who has go to outerspace for classes right now. Although it only 35-40 miles it is 4-6 hours of rush hour driving R/T for the classes twice a week. I don't think he's gonna stick to it for much longer.

In general, I think starting wages (And likewise Journey level wages) are going to have to go up dramaticaly soon. ...to attact and keep some of the people in the whole process with a consumate incentive for the hassle involved. Otherwise they'll all become Plumbers, (and maybe make better money at it too.) or any other trade where none of this is nessesary.

Already more and more GC's are doing thier own electrical work here, were low rates start in the $90's. So if wages, and likewise prices go up, we may all be dinosaurs soon... So something had better be done about that, and quick.

And they've done such a good job with electricians that their meetings have had on their agenda in the last couple of years:

G. Industry minimum industry training criteria

1. Carpenter industry
2. Surveyor industry
3. Roofing industry

and

Action on approval of minimum industry training criteria
1. Refrigeration fitter minimum standards
2. Sprinkler fitter minimum standards
3. Pipe fitter/steam fitter/industrial fitter minimum standards
4. Iron worker minimum standards
5. Heat & frost insulators & asbestos workers minimum standards

and let's not forget:

C. New Business
Industry Minimum Training Criteria Reports:
Plastering Industry
Plumbing Industry
Operating Engineer Industry
*********************************************

Oh yeah, we electricians are just the guinea pigs.