Electrician Training in Hawaii: Start Your Professional Journey

Are you looking for electrician training in Hawaii? Do you want to live a good life driving flashy cars and eating life with a silver spoon? If so you are in the right place.

Hawaii continues to experience a construction boom which has resulted in increased electrician demand. The demand is expected to grow at a rate of 13.9% until the year 2024. As an electrician in Hawaii, expect to get an annual salary of $107,300. This salary can easily double especially if you become an independent electrical contractor. 

Compare this with other wages in Hawaii, and you will understand why it is one of the most profitable careers:

• Powerhouse and Substation Electricians: $107,300
• Plumber: $73,810
• Carpenters: $54,000
• Woodworkers: $37,950
• Cutters and Trimmers: $40,000
• Packaging and Filling Machine Operators: $30,620
• Bus Drivers: $44,050
• Parking Lot Attendants: $27,120
• Traffic Technicians: $55,020

From the analysis above, an electrician has higher income levels followed by a plumber and traffic technician. We have prepared a menu below to make it easy to read through this article. 

1. Gaining the Required Experience

Your first electrical training in Hawaii is aimed at helping you gain the required minimum classroom hours. You will also be required to have at least 10,000 hours of work experience. Do not be intimidated by the required work experience because it translates to only 5 years. Keep in mind that all this time you are getting paid. You will also be required to have classroom training of 240 hours. Once you have accumulated the minimum required hours you can then qualify to sit for a journeyman exam. 

There are several electrical licenses you can apply for:

• Journey Worker Electrician License
• Supervising Electrician License
• Journey Worker Specialty Electrician License
• Journey Worker Industrial Electrician License
• Maintenance Electrician License
• Supervising Specialty Electrician License

Note: You do not need an electrical license if you are an electrical hardware dealer.

Requirements for an Electrician Supervising License

The following requirements must be met to qualify for an electrician supervising license:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Have a Journey Worker electrician license
• Have a job experience of at least 5 years
• Have 10,000 hours of experience in either residential or commercial wiring
• Have a social security number

Exam Details

The exam has a 3-hour time limit with 70 questions.

Requirements for a Journey Worker Electrician License

The following minimum requirements are mandatory for all aspiring journeyman worker electricians:

• Have more than 10,000 hours of job experience 
• Be above 18 years old
• Have a social security card
• Have a signed experience verification form from either a supervising electrician or a journeyman
• Must complete a 240-hour theoretical university course 

Exam Details

The exam has a 3-hour time limit with 70 questions.

Requirements for a Journey Worker Industrial Electrician License

The following minimum requirements are mandatory to all aspiring Journey Worker Industrial electricians:

• Proof that you have more than 8,000 hours of work experience
• Be at least 18 years or older
• Have a social security card
• Complete a college or a 200-hour university theoretical course 

Exam Details

The exam has a 3-hour time limit with 70 questions.

Requirements for a Supervising Electrician License

The following minimum requirements are mandatory to all aspiring supervising electricians:

• Have a social security card
• Be at least 18 years of age
• Have a journey worker electrician license

Exam Details

The exam has a three-hour time limit with 70 multiple questions

Requirements for a Supervising Industrial Electrician License

The following minimum requirements must be fulfilled by an aspiring supervising industrial electrician:

• Have a journey Worker electrician license
• Have a social security card
• Be at least 18 years old

Exam Details

The test has a three-hour time limit and 70 multiple questions

Requirements for a Journey Worker Industrial Electrician License

The following requirements must be met by an aspiring journey worker industrial electrician:

• Have 8,000 hours of work experience
• Complete a 200-hour theoretical knowledge course 
• Be at least 18 years old
• Have a social security number

Exam Details

The test has a three-hour time limit and 70 multiple questions

Requirements for a Journey Worker Specialty License

The following minimum requirements must be met to qualify for a journey worker specialty license:

• Have a social security card
• 18 years old or older
• Have work experience of 6,000 hours
• Take a 120-hour theoretical knowledge course

Exam Details

The exam has a two-hour time limit with 50 test questions

Requirements for a Supervising Specialty Electrician License

The following minimum requirements must be met to qualify for a supervising speciality license:

• Have a social insurance number
• Be at least 18 years of age
• Have a journey worker speciality electrician license
• Have a journey worker industrial electrician license

Exam Details

The exam has a two-hour limit with 50 test questions

Requirements for a Maintenance Electrician License

• Have 12 months of electrical maintenance experience 
• Take an 80-hour theoretical knowledge course offered by the University of Hawaii College
• Be 18 years old

Exam Details

The test has a two-hour time limit with 50 test questions

Depending on the license being applied for, the first step is to fill an experience verification form and a license application form. For your application to be accepted, you are required to pay a non-refundable fee of $40. The filled documents must be submitted to the Board of Electricians & Plumbers.

There are two ways you can acquire the necessary experience:

• Join a technical college 
• Join a union or non-union apprenticeship program

Electrical Training in Hawaii Through a Technical College

A college institution enables you to earn a certificate in electrical installation and maintenance technology. A technical college is also the best strategy to become an electrician if you are starting out in the electrical world.

By earning a certificate in electrical installation and maintenance you qualify for a limited license or for a journey worker license. With the certificate, you can get an entry-level position in either a maintenance company or an electrical shop. To get connected to one of the seven electrician training schools in Hawaii, fill in the form below and we will get in touch.

Electrician Training in Hawaii Through a Union Apprenticeship Program

The only union apprenticeship available is offered by the Hawaii Electricians Training Fund {HETF}. The main objective of the HETF is to maintain and nurture young electricians while at the same time ensuring professional standards are met. At the moment, the fund has an Anti-Harassment Training that is in accordance with CFR part 30, section 30. According to the CFR, all apprenticeship programs should be free from harassment  

To join the program, you must meet the following requirements:

• Be 18 years of age
• Have passed an Algebras class
• Have a GED
• Be an America citizen
• Pass an oral interview
• Pass an aptitude test
• Be physically fit 

Become an Electrician in Hawaii Through a Non-Union Apprenticeship Program

Non-union apprenticeships in Hawaii are offered through the Honolulu community college through a partnership with the Hawaii Associated Building Contractors. As a Non-union member, your wages are determined by the shop that hires you. The good thing about this arrangement is that it is easy to join a non-union shop and you get a reward if your efforts directly contribute to its profitability.

2. Sitting for an Electrician Exam

Depending on your electrician training in Hawaii, you are most likely to sit for one of these exams:

A Journey worker Specialty Exam: Passing this exam will give you the authority required to perform maintenance and electrical repair work. 

A Journey Worker Exam: This is one of the first exams you will sit for as part of your electrician training. It will give you the authority to become an electrical supervisor.

A Maintenance Electrician License: This exam empowers you to perform limited electrical work

Topic Breakdown of a Journey Worker Electrician Exam

A Journey Worker Electrician exam requires you to attain a pass mark of 70%. Expect to be evaluated in the following subjects:

• Electrical wire size
• Cables
• Safety
• General use equipment
• Enclosures
• Raceways
• Bonding
• Grounding
• Electric motor repair
• Basic electrical circuits
• Low voltage

Expect 13% of the exam to be on cables, enclosures and conductors.

Topic Breakdown for an Industrial Electrician Exam

By now, your electrical school in Hawaii should have made you an expert in the following subjects:

• General Electrical Knowledge
• Motors
• Controls
• Branch circuits
• Feeders
• Enclosure
• Raceway
• Low voltage circuits
• Bonding and Grounding

The exam has a pass mark of 70%.

3. Becoming a Supervising Electrician

This is the next stage of your electrical career. From a Journey Worker, you become a supervising electrician. At this stage, you should expect to earn around $90,000 a year. 

Topic Breakdown of a Supervising Electrician Exam in Hawaii 

The exam will test your knowledge in the following subjects; 

• General knowledge 
  
• Communication circuits 
  
• Low voltage 
  
• Safety 
  
• Bonding 
  
• Grounding 
  
• Cables  
  
• Conductors 
  
• Series and parallel circuitry
  
• Motors 
  
• Controls 
  
• Feeders

Though the exam will have 50 electrical topics, 20% of this will be on branch circuits and feeders. Safety and communication circuits will occupy the least questions at 4%. Keep in mind that you require to have a pass mark of 70% to get this license. 

Topic Breakdown of a Supervising Specialty Electrician Exam in Hawaii

Expect to be evaluated in the following electrical subjects: 

• General theoretical knowledge  
  
• Communication circuits 
• Special enclosures 
  
• Bonding 
  
• Grounding 
  
• Alarm systems 
  
• Special equipment

General electric knowledge will occupy 20% of the entire exam while fire detection and alarm system will occupy 18% of the exam.  

4. Becoming an Independent Contractor in Hawaii 

This is the icing on the cake. Your electrician training in Hawaii has been preparing you for this moment. Every electrician in America dreams of the day they will sit for an independent electrical contractor exam. Here, your wages are unfathomable. All the hard work you have put in your training has brought you to this point; your wages can be $100,000 or 1 million a year if you get a lucrative tender! 

To become an independent contractor, you can either do it as a sole proprietor or as a corporate entity.  

The following requirements must be met when registering for a sole proprietorship: 

• You must be 18 years and above 
  
• Have a supervising experience of at least 4 years 
  
• Be a person of integrity 
  
• Pass a classification exam 
  

The following requirements must be met when registering a corporate entity: 

• Have a Worker’s Compensation Insurance policy 
  
• Pass a classification exam 
  
• Be of integrity 
  
• Have a full-time responsible employee 
  
• Be 18 years older 

Note: Your corporate should be registered by BREG 

5. Electrician Salaries in Hawaii 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Hawaii electricians are the 3^rd highest paid in America. The figure is expected to rise as electricians retire. This makes electricians the best paid in the county. The following are electrician salaries in Hawaii: 

Residential Electrician Salaries in Rural Kauai 

• Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina HI: $61,700 
• Kauai non metropolitan area: $70,960 
• Urban Honolulu HI: $71,900 

Electrician Salaries in Urban Honolulu 

• Powerhouse and Substation electricians: $107,030 
  
• Electrical Engineers: $88,880 
  
• Electronic Engineers: $102,000 
  
• Power line Installers and Repairers: $92,770 
  
• Electrical and Electronics Drafter: $58,050 
  
• Helper electricians: $45,270 
  
• Electrical and Electronics Repairers: $73,600 

Electrician Salaries in Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina 

• Electrical Engineers: $89,260 
  
• Helper Electricians: $51,530 
  
• Electrical and Electronics Technicians: $73,570 

Electrician Salaries Kauai Nonmetropolitan Area

• Electrical Engineers: $88,720 
  
• Electrical Power line Repairers and Installers: $58,260 
  
• Helper Electricians: $45,420 
  

The analysis above will help you determine which region has the highest electrician wage than the other. At the same time, it is meant to show you which industry is more lucrative.

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