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Electrician Apprentice Jobs - What is the Job of a Electrical Worker? What does a Industrial Electrician Job Involve?

Electricians have the responsibility of providing electricity to Americans all around the country, which can include installing and maintaining power flow to homes, businesses, and factories.

Master electricians will usually start their job by studying electrical blueprints, which are technical diagrams showing the location of various electrical circuits, electrical panels, power outlets, and other equipment in order to create an action plan of how the electrical job should be conducted. In order to ensure their safety and that of the public, electricians follow the National Electrical Code, in addition to any state and local electrical regulations.

Electrician jobs are responsible for connecting wires to circuit breakers, outlets, power transformers, and other electrical equipment, joining these wires using connectors. Tools that electrical jobs can use include conduit benders, pliers, knives, saws, wire strippers, and power tools like drills. Electrical measuring equipment such as voltmeters and amp meters are used in order to test connections and ensure the safety of electrical components.

Most journeyman electricians will focus on either construction or maintenance, and they will specialize in residential, commercial, or industrial electrical work. Those electricians who specialize in construction will typically work on factory wiring and businesses, while maintenance electricians will work on upgrading electrical systems and repairing faulty equipment.

Residential wiremen are responsible for installing electrical systems in the homes of individuals, or upgrading these electrical systems in order to provide a higher power load for a electrical customer. Commercial electricians will typically work in office buildings, while industrial electricians have employment in factory settings, installing the wiring systems of machinery.

When installing wiring, electrician will commonly use insulated cables and pull these cables through holes and conduits in order to complete a electrical circuit. The number and size of wires that are needed for an electrical contracting job depend on the power load that is intended to run through the electrical wire.

Some electrician careers involve installing low power wiring for data and voice equipment or communications systems such as telephones, computers, and alarm systems.

Electrical maintenance work can vary greatly depending on the type of work that is being conducted. In a residential environment, a journeyman electricians job is to repair equipment such as circuit breakers and to upgrade existing electrical systems in order to make room for new appliances or lighting. Other residential electricians jobs can be as simple as installing a new electrical outlet.

In large factories such as semiconductor plants, industrial and commercial electricians will have to repair multimillion dollar machinery or robots, having a high degree of technical knowledge in order to complete the wiring job.

Working Conditions for Electricians Jobs - How is the Working Environment for Electrician Jobs?

Electrician jobs can involve working on construction sites, home sites, businesses, or factories, and the work itself can be difficult and involve body strain. Electrician safety is a priority due to the risk of electroshock or fall, and workplace injuries are exceedingly uncommon due to electrical safety procedures.

Most electricians will work a 40 hour work week, although overtime may be available to meet project deadlines. Maintenance electricians may be on call in order to complete the project, and industrial electricians may have to work overtime in order to get a tool operational.

Journeyman Electrician Education - How to Become a Electrician Apprentice - How to Receive Your Electrician Training

Electrician education and electrician training is commonly provided by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and contractors who are affiliated with the National Electrical Contractors Association. Electrical work is a highly specialized trade and requires advanced electrician training in order to be able to perform a wide variety of tasks.

Union electrician apprenticeship programs will typically last 4 to 5 years, with 144 hours of classroom instruction annually and 2000 hours of job experience. Union electricians will usually receive a bachelor’s degree upon graduation, and they will learn electrical theory, mathematics, electrical code, safety, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and blueprint reading. Some electricians may specialize in a particular field such as installing fire systems or communications Systems.

Electrician apprentices will start out under the tutelage of more experienced journeyman electricians. Electrical helpers will usually start out by carrying out menial tasks, learning how to test and install wiring over time. During a four year electrician training program, a electrical apprentice will eventually take on more and more responsibilities of the journeyman electricians job.

Union electricians may be able to start out as helpers during the summer at job sites, before entering an apprenticeship program. Electrician education continues throughout one’s electrical career, due to ever increasingly advanced electrical systems which require technical expertise.

Electrician Training Requirements - How to Become a Electrician

An electrician license is required in order to become certified with the state, which will usually test knowledge of electrical theory, the National Electrical Code, and local building codes. Electrical contractors may require that residential electricians receive special licensing, and in some states, master electricians must have seven years of experience before receiving special certification.

Union electrician certification can often bypass many of these licensing requirements, as the IBEW has their own certification and licensing programs. The only requirement in order to enter an electrician apprenticeship is to be 18 years old and have a high school diploma, and most electrical jobs will require good dexterity and good physical shape in order to work in the field.

After entering a union apprenticeship program, an electrician will eventually advance to a journeyman position, eventually leading to a role as a electrical foreman or general foreman. With further training, an electrician can become an electrical superintendent or project manager, even going so far as to own their own electrical contracting company, which will require an electrical contractors license. Another route that some electricians take is to become an electrical inspector.

Electrician Employment - What is a Industrial Electrician Job?

Electrician employment should grow by about 7% over the next decade, as electricians are always needed in order to maintain the electrical infrastructure of America. Power plant construction will be a good source of employment for those in the electrical field, in addition to semiconductor plants and telecommunications companies.

Obsolete electrical equipment must be upgraded to more complex wiring systems, and the job prospects for those entering the field of electrical work are excellent.

Due to the focus on entering college, most electricians do not consider a career in a skilled trade. Since a journeyman electrician program takes the equivalent of a college education to complete, there are many more openings then there are applicants, and the best opportunities are available in commercial and industrial electrical work, as opposed to residential.

While an electrician or wireman can experience employment downtime during a recession, most electricians are part of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and so they are able to travel across the country as a electrical traveler in order to find employment.

Electrician Pay Scale - How Much Do Master Electrician Job Earn?

In 2006, electrician jobs had hourly earnings of $20.97, with those electrical workers in motor vehicle manufacturing jobs earning the highest rate of pay at $31.90.

Union electricians had the highest rate of median pay, and electrician apprentices will usually start out at 50% of a electrical journeyman wage. Electricians can be members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and maintenance electricians may be represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the United Steelworkers of America, and the International Union of Electronic, Electrical, Salaried, Machine, and Furniture Workers.