From the DAS website: http://www.dir.ca.gov./DAS/ElectricalTrainee.htm
Legislation passed in 1999 requiring all
electricians who work for a C-10 electrical contractor to be certified
by the state of California. Regulations from that legislation were put
in place in 2002, setting deadlines for all categories of electricians.
Many of those deadlines have already passed.
To continue to work as an electrician after
the deadline has passed, a person must be one of the following:
certified by having taken and passed the exam or an apprentice in a
state approved program or an electrician trainee.
If a person wants to perform electrical work
for a C-10 contractor and does not yet qualify to take the
certification exam because of lack of work experience or related
instruction, can do so legally by registering as an electrician
trainee.
Why Enroll in an Electronics Program at
Pierce College for Electrician Certification?
Disclaimer: The following is unofficial and any information given
here is only an attempt at explaining how and why an Electronics
program became a certified provider under the law. Please go to
DAS website linked above for any and all official requirements and
explanations!
Legislation has passed that requires persons to be certified
electricians. Even though the law was passed some time ago,
apparently implementation of the law has been delayed (extended).
Now it seems that by January 2007, there will be no more
extensions. Realizing that thousands of electricians will be
affected by the law, and there was going to be a tremendous need for
"approved schools," in the San Fernando Valley, the Pierce College
Electronics Program went through the extensive process of becoming
"approved." One of the goals of the legislation is to improve the
education of electricians.
So how does an electronics class meet the needs of electrician
trainees?
What we do NOT teach:
- We do not teach the electrical "code."
- We do not try to directly teach to pass an exam (the memorize and
pass method).
- We do not teach electrical construction
techniques such as conduit bending, mechanical tools usage, wire
pulling, cable splicing, etc.
What we DO teach:
- Fundamental electrical theory called
electronics or electricity, its all the same. This includes Ohm's
Law, voltage, current, resistance, series and parallel circuits,
magnetics, relays, solenoids, etc.
- Calculations using Ohm's law and the power equations utilizing a
scientific calculator.
- Hands on laboratory use of digital multimeters, power
supplies, computers, and in advanced courses, signal generators,
oscilloscopes, etc.
- AC fundamentals including inductance, capacitance, transformers,
etc.
- And many more topics in advanced
classes: Please see our Electronics
Program Web Page for a
complete course outline of every class.
What class should I begin with?
The beginning classes in our program are
Electronics
4A (lecture) and
4B (lab) taken concurrently.
Please
see the
Electronics
Program Web Page for course content and schedule
links. Courses that are approved for electrician trainees include:
- Electronics 4A&4B Fundamentals of Electronics I
- Electronics 6A&6B Fundamentals of Electronics II
- Electronics 8A&8B Electron Devices
- Electronics 72A&72B Digital Circuits
