Welcome. Whether you're a career advising professional in a high school, adult education center or in a workforce development program, we're here to help you with questions about advising for the electrician career path.
For starters...
The electrician and low voltage technician career paths can be a rewarding and satisfying choice. While the traditional college path may not be for everyone, a career in the trades --such as a career as a Commercial or Residential Electrician or Voice-Data-Video (VDV) or Fire Life Safety (FLS) technician, is a respected and necessary job function for our modern world.
Advising this path may address what some of your students are looking for in a career: Good wages, working with your hands, and technical mastery. Plus, a post-secondary education path that won’t break the bank—electrician and low voltage education graduates typically have little to zero student loans!
Did you know the median wage in 2019 for skilled, state-certified electricians in CA is $70,525 annually, or $33.91 hourly?*
Source: CA EDD Occupational Employment Statistics Survey. 2019 Wages do not reflect self-employment.
It’s an exciting time to become a skilled electrician. Electricians today are at the forefront of emerging technologies that require their expertise to plan and install solar electric systems, electric car charging stations, smart buildings and homes, and consult about energy efficiency. In addition, some in the skilled trades are beginning to retire, and a new generation of skilled men and women will be needed soon.
How does someone become an electrician or low voltage technician? A person can go to an electrician trade school like WECA’s and enroll in one of the electrician training programs. Depending on the program, it can take a student 3-5 years of training to achieve their competencies and expertise. Many work with contractors during this time as apprentices and gain valuable on-the-job training while earning wages. Those in the electrician trainee program also work, independently while learning.
In the State of California, electricians and low voltage technicians must take and pass an exam to be a certified electrician to practice in the state. As a career adviser, your keen knowledge of these options can help students and their families determine the right career fit and program for them.
WECA’s education programs are affordable. The annual cost for electrician training is comparable, and at times, less than that of CA Community College tuition and fees (approximately $1,513 per year for the WECA Electrician Trainee Program; and in the case of the Apprenticeship Program, the apprentice’s tuition is covered by their employer) –making this career path very affordable.
Western Electrical Contractors Association, Inc. (WECA) is a nonprofit electrician trade school with regional training centers in Rancho Cordova (Sacramento Region HQ), San Diego, Riverside, and (coming soon to) Fresno. We’re certified by the State of California and the US Department of Labor to offer electrician education programs for electrician trainees and apprentices.
Explore our website to learn more about the paths a person can take to become a skilled electrician and how to advise.
See for yourself. Visit a WECA training facility. See our labs and classrooms, talk to an electrician instructor. Our education team will be happy to show you around.
We’ll come to you. Have a career fair coming up? Our outreach team can visit and explain the benefits of an electrician career and the training paths WECA has to offer.
Call us. We'll be happy to talk to you about our electrician education options and the "next-steps" for an interested student. Here's our phone number: 877-444-9322 or send us an email at info@goweca.com.
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