How long does it take to become an electrician and what is the salary?

The pathway to an electrician's journeyman competency certificate runs through the CCQ, in four steps:

• DEP in electricity (program 5295): 1,800 hours (CCQ trade brochure "Électricien")
• Apprentice competency certificate: after the DEP, on presentation of a job guarantee of at least 150 hours over 3 consecutive months from an employer registered with the CCQ
• Apprenticeship: 4 periods of 2,000 hours (8,000 hours in total)
• CCQ qualification exam (Electrician, trade 220): 3 hours, 60 questions, 60% passing grade ("Examen Électricien" information sheet, CCQ, consulted October 18, 2026)

Neither the trade brochure nor the exam sheet publishes a total duration in years: the real calendar depends on how fast the apprentice accumulates site hours. Becoming an electrical contractor is a separate step: it requires the subclass 16 business licence and a guarantor qualified before the CMEQ (five exams, CMEQ, consulted October 18, 2026).

Hourly rates in construction (CCQ, trade 220, institutional and commercial sector, day shift, regular rate, query of October 18, 2026):

• 1st-period apprentice: $25.40/h
• 2nd-period apprentice: $30.47/h
• 3rd-period apprentice: $35.55/h
• 4th-period apprentice: $43.17/h
• Journeyman: $50.79/h

Rates vary by sector and by shift; the CCQ publishes them in its "Wage rates" tool.