CA ELECTRICIANS WHO CAN NOT TAKE STATE TEST!!

Status
Not open for further replies.

Lotsofhours

New User
Location
California
Occupation
Electrician
There are many CA Electricians who have Over 8000-50,000 hours Never registered as an ET who are still not certified and now cannot take test!

I have 40k hours all in CA.

The DIR rejected my application because my hours were NOT worked as a "registered ET"

Is there an Amnesty program?
A go around?

What do people do with 40k hours and no ET card?

ANY IDEAS ?

Please Help!!!

Thank you ALL!!!
 

tom baker

First Chief Moderator
Staff member
What do the state laws/rules say about being an ET?
Did being a ET start when CA began electrician licensing?
Did they send out a notice that ET registration is required, if so when?
I understand your dilemma, but I would say the CA electrical agency is only doing what the law requires.

I am very familiar with the Washington State laws for electrician licensing. Our electrical dept, L&I sees a lot of fraud when persons apply to be able to take the electrical test. Trainees are required to have a valid trainee card, and have to turn in affidavits of experience, signed by a supervising electrician. L&I can then verify hours, that they had the required supervision, worked for a licensed contractor, the contractor was pulling permits and getting inspections...

In WA we have had some grandfathering, but it does not happen very often, your relief may be through the legislature.
 

mwm1752

Senior Member
Location
Aspen, Colo
In Colorado anyone employed as an electrical apprentice is require to be register with the sate after 30 days & that's only the beginning of requirements to be met - BTW why did it take you 40K hours to decide to get a license & when did california decide you had to register as a ET?
 

RumRunner

Senior Member
Location
SCV Ca, USA
Occupation
Retired EE
There are many CA Electricians who have Over 8000-50,000 hours Never registered as an ET who are still not certified and now cannot take test!

I have 40k hours all in CA.

The DIR rejected my application because my hours were NOT worked as a "registered ET"

Is there an Amnesty program?
A go around?

What do people do with 40k hours and no ET card?

ANY IDEAS ?

Please Help!!!

Thank you ALL!!!
There are many CA Electricians who have Over 8000-50,000 hours Never registered as an ET who are still not certified and now cannot take test!
I have 40k hours all in CA.

The DIR rejected my application because my hours were NOT worked as a "registered ET"

Is there an Amnesty program?
A go around?

What do people do with 40k hours and no ET card?
ANY IDEAS ?
Please Help!!!

Thank you ALL!!!

Here is an excerpt of this ruling:

"The State of California requires annual ET Application Renewal for all Electrician Trainees until you have the required work experience hours (4,800 hours for Residential electricians and 8,000 hours for General electricians) and have applied for and passed the State Electrical Certification Exam. The annual ET renewal does NOT require a fee."

The above was quoted from another source.


The following are mine:

You have accumulated that many hours and I empathize with you. You don't accumulate that many hours overight.
What makes it hard to follow is ; why didn't you register as a trainee. Whoever or whatever company you worked for is partially at fault.

The person you worked for may not be a C10 holder or the company does not have an RMO to allow you to work as electrical trainee.

In CA, a person cannot be working as electrician without being registered and having been trained. You pay the registration fee and you're issued a card stating you are an electrical trainee.
Renewal is free and renewed annually.
You are registered trainee only-- but your are not an electrician yet.

You are asking a "workaround to subvert" this rule which is bad in the first place. Good things don't come easy.

Older C10 contractors-- unless they check with CSLB (California State License Board) don't even know this. And if they do. . . .they ignored it which could get them in trouble.
When hiring electricians they are supposed to hire only those who are registered. . . and when hired they must be under direct supervision or be working under direction of a journeyman or master electrician.

Trainees cannot work by themselves and sign a contract and claim themselves as electricians.

Failure to adhere to this rule could cause a C10 holder to get a reprimand and worse revocation of his license when caught hiring non-registered trainee.

ET is a contraction of ELECTRICAL TRAINEE.

Not a technician yet. . . being called a technician is too elitist. lol
 
Last edited:

RumRunner

Senior Member
Location
SCV Ca, USA
Occupation
Retired EE
Here is an excerpt of this ruling:

"The State of California requires annual ET Application Renewal for all Electrician Trainees until you have the required work experience hours (4,800 hours for Residential electricians and 8,000 hours for General electricians) and have applied for and passed the State Electrical Certification Exam. The annual ET renewal does NOT require a fee."

The above was quoted from another source.


The following are mine:

You have accumulated that many hours and I empathize with you. You don't accumulate that many hours overight.
What makes it hard to follow is ; why didn't you register as a trainee. Whoever or whatever company you worked for is partially at fault.

The person you worked for may not be a C10 holder or the company does not have an RMO to allow you to work as electrical trainee.

In CA, a person cannot be working as electrician without being registered and having been trained. You pay the registration fee and you're issued a card stating you are an electrical trainee.
Renewal is free and renewed annually.
You are registered trainee only-- but your are not an electrician yet.

You are asking a "workaround to subvert" this rule which is bad in the first place. Good things don't come easy.

Older C10 contractors-- unless they check with CSLB (California State License Board) don't even know this. And if they do. . . .they ignored it which could get them in trouble.
When hiring electricians they are supposed to hire only those who are registered. . . and when hired they must be under direct supervision or be working under direction of a journeyman or master electrician.

Trainees cannot work by themselves and sign a contract and claim themselves as electricians.

Failure to adhere to this rule could cause a C10 holder to get a reprimand and worse revocation of his license when caught hiring non-registered trainee.

ET is a contraction of ELECTRICAL TRAINEE.

Not a technician yet. . . being called a technician is too elitist. lol

ELECTRICAL TRAINEE should read ELECTRICIAN TRAINEE and Overight should read Overnight.
 

junkhound

Senior Member
Location
Renton, WA
Occupation
EE, power electronics specialty
Never registered as an ET.....40k hours .....

WA similar, and probably most of the 'enlightened' high tax/fee states are the same. Have over 120,000 hours total in WA and IL and IN. Mostly industrial or military settings, plus a few dozen electrical patents;

yet, when doing volunteer work for Habitat FH, need to get an ET from WA to be able to do simple volunteer residential work.

Government know best of course. Back in the 70's, could have gotten master license under grandfather clause, but to keep would have had to fork over $$ per year to the state plus take classes of the same type I was teaching for the company!
Same situation with PE, have not had a PE license since 1968.
 

Eddie702

Licensed Electrician
Location
Western Massachusetts
Occupation
Electrician
It's all about the MONEY

@Lotsofhours

I would try and document all the training you may have and all you work experience with your employers if possible.

Most states have a few loop holes for certain circumstances
 

tom baker

First Chief Moderator
Staff member
We have licensing rules as it’s a regulated industry. It’s all about the money is correct that in WA the fees support licensing, inspection, etc. Licensing and regulations exist to protect the end user, a person here can become a carpenter by getting a contractors license .
 

Hv&Lv

Senior Member
Location
-
Occupation
Engineer/Technician
There are many CA Electricians who have Over 8000-50,000 hours Never registered as an ET who are still not certified and now cannot take test!

I have 40k hours all in CA.

The DIR rejected my application because my hours were NOT worked as a "registered ET"

Is there an Amnesty program?
A go around?

What do people do with 40k hours and no ET card?

ANY IDEAS ?

Please Help!!!

Thank you ALL!!!
Sort of makes no sense according to this:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top