It's about time!!
At long last, the State is giving the 1st qualification tests for electricians (other than the C-10 contractor's license).
AB931, signed in October 1999, is designed to establish minimum competency and education requirements for electricians in the field.
Applications are available from the CA Division of Apprenticeship Standards.
(now, if they just don't take 20 years to implement it)...S

Yep and its a bunch of BS. All employees of C10 (electrical contractors) must be certified by January 1 2005. I think its a good idea for electricians to be certified but this bill has nothing to do with safety. It was created by the union as a way to rid the state of all non union electrical contractors. This bill requires that any electrician that is not certified must be enrolled in a approved apprenticeship program. Now the last I heard the union did loose some ground here because they wanted their apprenticeship program to be the only approved program. Apprentices must also be paid prevailing wages (union wages) which means if the non union shop are going to try an exist they are going to have to pay their journeyman prevailing wages too since I don't think they will be will willing to work for less than the apprentices. If this bill was really about safety it would apply to all electricians not just employees of electrical contractors. Now general contractors doing residential work are not going to be able to afford to hire an electrical contractor to do their work and will have their employees do the work. Most of the unsafe work is already being done by these same people but now we have give them a reason to do more of it. I'm definitely for electricians being certified but I think everyone doing electrical work should meet this requirement and not just the employees of electrical contractors. Wages should not be connected to this certification either.

Hers a link of one of the organinazationa that has been fighting this bill: http://www.caflac.org/index.cfm

Happy Holliday to all!
Curt

Can you point out to me where in the bill it says an apprentice has to make full JW prevailing wages? I can't find it.

Here is my two cents:
As Curt stated this will probably be a BS certification program.
I am looking forward to see the Contractors State Board make an exam for any C-10 Contractor including the old timers.
Make an exam that is hard and will show when you pass the exam you know exactly what you are talking about.
When i took my state exam it was a joke. They had the diagram of a SPST switch and the question was:"Is this a transformer,switch,inductor or capacitor?"
What kind of questions are these??????????????
To get a license you have to know electrical inside out.You have to know theory.HOW IT WORKS & WHY IT WORKS.
I think if you take the three day crash course you will pass the c-10 exam and call yourself electrical contractor.

I hope the state will make a mandatory test for all the C-10 Contractors and employees to pass a test that will show the individual knows electrical.

That is my opinion.
Edward

Nick,

It is not directly part of the certification bill but is an amendment to the "Apprenticeship Law". You can read about it here: http://www.caflac.org/section208.cfm . I thought that this amendment was passed but its possible that it didn't which would be great. I'll do some research when I have some time and post what I find.

Curt

Curt,
If you go to the "final" link at the top of the top of the page you just posted, you will be able to see the regulation in its entirety. (Looks to me like no amendment was passed re: wages).
Edward,
I'm not sure if the C-10 holders will be required to take the test, at the last I heard, it had been undetermined. (but they very well may be, in which case a C-10 not passing the cert would be able to contract for a job, but unable to perform the work personally).

The fight over this program is the reason that it's taken so long to go into effect. Both the Union and the non-union lobbyists have used massive propaganda campaigns to one-up the other. (Heck, Nick & I get along pretty well, he's union, I'm not).
I think the outcome is fair and equitable. The reg states (Section 3099 [e])"There shall be no discrimination for or against any person based on membership or nonmembership in a union".Also, the term "electrician" applies to those engage in the "connection" of electrical devices. By (solely) my interpretation this would not apply to employees running conduit, pulling wire, etc.

The benefits of not having a "3 day wonder" contractor hiring a 2year experienced "foreman" and turning him/her loose on a job with a crew of greener-than-grass 3 month "journeymen" on a job far outweigh any disagreements I have with the regulation. Up until now, you could be anything you said you were just by saying it. ...S