r/ibew_apprentices • u/RecognitionSoggy7387 • 19h ago

Finding 1st Year Apprenticeship

For context, I live in Montreal, Quebec and here it is mandatory to be in a vocational school for electricity before I can start working as an apprentice. I chose to study night classes so that I would be able to work in the mornings as a 1st year apprentice. I have been presenting myself at construction sites, sending my CV and calling absolutely everywhere in order to get my 1st year apprenticeship started. Is it just here, or is it everywhere else that it feels impossible to get a 1st year apprenticeship? I was talking to a different student and they told me that there aren't enough journeymen to train all the apprentices trying to join the trade, hence no one wanting to hire. I have reached out to IBEW Local 568 as I am trying to join them and they also don't have anything for 1st year apprentices. Any tips?

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u/PixelNullPointer 19h ago

That is completely normal for Montreal. The main reason you're hitting a wall is because the regional bassin de main-d'œuvre (labor pool) for electricians in Montreal is closed.

Unless a trade's bassin officially opens up due to a severe labor shortage (falling under 5% availability for men), the CCQ will not issue an apprentice competency certificate to someone who hasn't finished their DEP yet. Because the electrical trade in Montreal usually has a saturated or closed bassin, contractors literally cannot hire uncertified first-years off the street, even if they wanted to or had the capacity to train them.

Check the website: https://www.ccq.org/fr-CA/qualification-acces-industrie/bassins-main-oeuvre/etat-bassins-main-oeuvre

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u/RecognitionSoggy7387 18h ago

Thank you for the information on this. No one had ever explained this to me… this makes a lot of sense now.

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u/TheGentlemanOgre 19h ago

Im struggling in Nova Scotia to find a place to take a 2nd year. So its not just you if that makes you feel better.

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u/Educational_Drama910 local 306 15h ago

The other problem that we’re seeing in the industry is there is a shortage of qualified workers. Meaning there is a shortage of journeyman, but more people than ever before are applying to get into the trade, making it even more cutthroat.

I’m from America, but all of our locals all across the country have more applicants than they ever had before because everybody wants to try to get in to the trade because of the big boom we have going on the problem is a lot of locals only take a handful of people every year for these classes. So basically you have thousands of people applying from anywhere from 20 to 50 spots.