Also known as
- Apprentice Lineworker – Electrical Power System
- Cable Installer – Electrical Power
- Cable Splicer – Electrical Power
- Construction Lineworker – Electrical Power Line
- Power Line Patroller
- Power Lineworker
- Powerline Technician
Your duties | Work conditions | Essential Skills | Apprenticeship | Certification | Where to study | Salary ranges | Building your career
Can you stay calm under stress? Are you physically fit and good with your hands? Do you like working outdoors? Are you able to think for yourself and work well with others? Do you like to travel? Then Lineworker could be the career for you!
What the work is like
Lineworkers build, maintain and repair overhead and underground electrical power lines.
They are employed by electric power generation and distribution companies, electrical contractors and public utility commissions.
Lineworkers work mostly in the Heavy Industrial, and Institutional and Commercial construction sectors. To learn more about the construction sectors, check out Inside the industry.
Your duties
As a Lineworker, your duties may include the following:
- installing, maintaining and repairing overhead and underground electrical systems, including power lines and cables, and street lighting systems
- connecting and insulating conductors and related wiring
- climbing ladders or operating hydraulic buckets when working on poles and towers
Work conditions
The standard work week for lineworkers is 40 hours (8 hours a day, 5 days a week). As with many careers in construction, there are peak periods that will require you to work overtime. The number of additional hours you work each week depends on the construction sector and region you work in, and will vary from one job to the next. You may be required to work shifts and could be called on at any hour in an emergency.
As a Lineworker, you will usually work outdoors, both above and below ground, and with a team of other construction professionals. You may have to travel from one job to another. The work is very physical and requires heavy lifting, carrying and reaching, sometimes at considerable heights.
As with all careers in the construction industry, safety is the top priority. Lineworkers are trained to work safely and wear special equipment to protect themselves from injury.
Essential Skills
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) has identified nine Essential Skills that are necessary to succeed in the workplace. These skills provide the foundation for learning all other skills and apply to most construction careers. Best of all, you can learn and improve on these skills in school, on the job and during your everyday life.
The most important Essential Skills for lineworkers are the following:
- Numeracy – working with numbers to perform calculations
- Significant Use of Memory – performing tasks that call upon greater memory use than most jobs
- Working with Others – interacting with co-workers to get the job done
Click here to see how these skills are applied on the job. You can also click here to learn more about Essential Skills.
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is one way of starting out in the construction industry. It involves both classroom studies and on-the-job training under the supervision of a certified Lineworker, called a journeyperson.
As an apprentice, you earn while you learn and are paid by the hour while working on the job site. Wages start at about 50% of a journeyperson's hourly rate and increase during your apprenticeship until you reach the full rate.
Entering an apprenticeship program
Requirements for lineworker apprenticeship programs vary across Canada. In most provinces and territories, you must have a Grade 11 education or equivalent to enter a lineworker apprenticeship program. You may find it helpful to have courses in math.
Some provinces and territories offer secondary school apprenticeship programs that allow high school students to work towards a career as a Lineworker.
For more information, check out the Apprenticeship section.
Program length
Apprenticeship training programs for lineworkers vary across Canada, but generally involve four 12-month periods, including at least 6,375 hours of on-the-job training, three seven-week blocks of technical training and a final certificate exam.
Related work experience or completion of a lineworker program at a college or technical institute can reduce the time required to complete your apprenticeship.
Certification
Certification is required in British Columbia and Prince Edward Island. It is available but voluntary in Alberta, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Saskatchewan and the Yukon. Where certification is not available, it may be possible to study as an apprentice through your local labour organization. Check out Related links to find out who to contact. Even where certification is voluntary, it is still recommended. Certification tells employers and other workers that you are a skilled professional. It also helps you get jobs.
To be certified as a Lineworker, you usually need to complete a four-year apprenticeship program. Once you successfully complete therequired on-the-job training, technical training and exams, you are awarded a journeyperson certificate.
You may be eligible for certification in some provinces and territories if you have more than four years of on-the-job experience and some high school, college or industry courses for lineworkers.
As a certified Lineworker you may attempt the Interprovincial Exam to qualify for the Interprovincial Standards’ Red Seal. With a Red Seal, you can work as a Lineworker anywhere in Canada.
To keep your skills current, you have to keep up with new technological developments by reading and talking with other lineworkers.
Where to study in Canada
In addition to the Canadian schools listed below, many employer and labour organizations offer training. For more information, check out Related links.
Alberta
Northern Alberta Institute of Technology
British Columbia
BC Hydro
Manitoba
Manitoba Hydro
Newfoundland and Labrador
College of the North Atlantic
Ontario
Electrical & Utilities Safety Association
Specialty programs
In addition to the schools listed above, NorQuest College offers a transitional program for new Canadians with experience as lineworkers.
Salary ranges
Lineworker wages vary depending on the contract, the company, collective agreements, and local and national economic conditions. Typical hourly wage ranges for journeyperson lineworkers (based on national averages) is $18-$34.
Construction work can involve overtime, so your total annual salary will vary depending on the number of overtime hours you work.
In addition to the hourly rate, many construction workers receive statutory holiday and vacation pay. Depending on the contract, you may also receive benefits such as group insurance for health, dental, and vision care, as well as retirement packages and training benefits up to 30% of your hourly rate. If you are self-employed, it is up to you to arrange your own benefits.
Building your career
With experience and additional training, you can move into more senior positions, including supervisory roles such as foreman or line supervisor. You can also apply your skills to related construction trades and occupations, such as Power System Electrician, electrical technologist or control room operator.
As with most careers in the construction industry, your skills are portable. If you want to move, you can take your skills with you.
The Construction Sector Council accepts no responsibility or liability connected with the use or reproduction of the information contained on this website. It is provided “as is” and is intended for informational use only without warranty, express or implied.
