Courses, colleges and apprenticeship programs across Ontario
In Ontario, “electrician” is a compulsory trade — you need a licence to work in it legally. That licence is the Certificate of Qualification (C of Q) for the 309A Electrician – Construction and Maintenance trade, administered by Skilled Trades Ontario. “Getting certified,” “getting your licence,” and “passing your C of Q” all describe the same final step.
You don’t go straight to a licence from a classroom. In Ontario the path runs through a registered apprenticeship: paid on-the-job work with a licensed employer, combined with in-school technical training delivered by a college. Most people reach that apprenticeship in one of three ways — a college pre-apprenticeship program, direct registration with an employer, or a union training route (IBEW / Electrical Training Alliance).
The directory below lists Ontario’s public colleges, private career colleges and union training providers that deliver electrician training, so you can compare where the in-school portion is offered before you commit.
Current as of October 2026. Program availability, intakes, ratios and fees can change — verify with the provider and with Skilled Trades Ontario before applying.
The 309A licence — what Ontario actually requires
The 309A Construction and Maintenance Electrician is a Red Seal, compulsory trade. The apprenticeship standard set by Skilled Trades Ontario:
309A at a glance
- Total apprenticeship — 9,000 hours (about 5 years)
- On-the-job training — 7,950 hours of paid work with a licensed employer
- In-school technical training — 1,050 hours, 7 months across 4 levels (2026 curriculum update)
- Academic entry — Grade 10 minimum (individual programs often ask for more)
- Ratio on the job — No more than one apprentice per journeyperson (O. Reg. 876/21)
- Credential — Certificate of Qualification (C of Q) after passing the provincial exam
- Red Seal — Carries Red Seal endorsement, supporting mobility across much of Canada (confirm the destination province’s requirements)
⚠ Important — 309A vs 309C vs 442A
309A is the construction and maintenance electrician. Ontario also registers the 309C domestic and rural and 442A industrial electrician trades. If you already know you want industrial or domestic/rural work, check which trade a program maps to before you enrol. Most general “become an electrician” plans in Ontario target 309A.
Electrician courses and colleges in Ontario
Ontario delivers the in-school portion of the trade mainly through its public colleges (the 24 Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology), plus private career colleges and union training centres. Three program types show up in the directory:
Pathway in
Pre-apprenticeship
A tuition-supported program that gives you Level 1 training and basic hands-on skills before you have an employer. It doesn’t make you an electrician — it makes you employable as an apprentice.
The core
Apprenticeship (Level 1–4)
The in-school technical-training blocks you complete as a registered apprentice, alternating with paid work terms on the job.
Foundation
College certificate
Electrical-techniques programs that build foundational skills and can feed into an apprenticeship, but are not themselves the apprenticeship.
The main differences between providers are location, intake dates, whether they deliver pre-apprenticeship, and which in-school level(s) they offer.
Electrician Schools in Ontario
Our Ontario directory lists public colleges, private career colleges and union training providers delivering electrician training across the province. Use the filters to narrow by type (college / union / private), pathway (pre-apprenticeship / apprenticeship / college certificate / union) and city.
💡 Tip: Use the Pathway chip to see only pre-apprenticeship programs, or type a city in the search box.
Looking specifically for the Greater Toronto Area? → Toronto electrician schools page.
Central Ontario 2 schools
| School | Tuition | Length | Total hours | Next cohort |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fleming College
Peterborough
Public
EN
|
$4,739 | 30 weeks (2 semesters) | 360 h | January, September |
|
Georgian College
Barrie
Public
EN
|
Set by STO | 1 year (2 semesters) | Fall |
Eastern Ontario 3 schools
| School | Tuition | Length | Total hours | Next cohort |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
IBEW Local 115 Training Centre
Kingston
Union
EN
|
Contact local | 9,000 h indentured apprenticeship (Local Apprenticeship Committee-administered) | Cohort-based, per Local calendar | |
|
Loyalist College
Belleville
Public
EN
|
$2,722 | 1 year (2 semesters) | September | |
|
St. Lawrence College
Kingston
Public
EN
|
$2,776 | 1 year (2 semesters) | September |
Greater Toronto Area 9 schools
| School | Tuition | Length | Total hours | Next cohort |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Centennial College
Toronto
Public
EN
|
$2,775 | 1 year (2 semesters) | January 2027; May 2027 | |
|
Durham College
Whitby
Public
EN
|
Set by STO | 1 year (2 semesters) | January, September | |
|
Electrical Apprentice Training Alliance (IBEW Local 353)
Vaughan
Union
EN
|
Contact Alliance | 15 weeks training + 10 weeks placement | Cohort-based, per Alliance calendar | |
|
George Brown Polytechnic
Toronto
Public
EN
|
$5,313 | 2 semesters | January, May, September (2026-27) | |
|
Herzing College
Toronto
Private
EN
|
Contact college | 24 weeks | Multiple starts, enrol any time | |
|
Humber Polytechnic
Toronto
Public
EN
|
Set by STO | 8–10 weeks per level | Multiple intakes — contact college | |
|
Sheridan College
Brampton
Public
EN
|
$5,371 | 1 year (2 semesters, 8 months) | January, May, September | |
|
Skilled Trades College of Canada
Woodbridge
Private
EN
|
$14,400 | 12 weeks full-time (or 24 weeks weekend part-time) | 480 h | |
|
Trillium College
Oshawa
Private
EN
|
Contact college | 29 weeks | 578 h | Year-round enrollments |
Hamilton-Niagara 3 schools
| School | Tuition | Length | Total hours | Next cohort |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
IBEW Local 105 Training Centre
Hamilton
Union
EN
|
Contact local | Pre-apprenticeship + 9,000 h indentured apprenticeship | Cohort-based, per Local calendar | |
|
Mohawk College
Hamilton
Public
EN
|
Set by STO | Levels 1–3 (varies by cohort) | 840 h | Multiple intakes — contact college |
|
Niagara College
Welland
Public
EN
|
$5,781 | 1 year (2 terms) | Fall |
Northern Ontario 5 schools
| School | Tuition | Length | Total hours | Next cohort |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Cambrian College
Sudbury
Public
EN
|
$4,904 | 2 years (4 semesters, 97 credits) | January, September | |
|
Canadore College
North Bay
Public
EN
|
$4,417 | 28 weeks (~7 months) | Fall, Winter, monthly | |
|
Collège Boréal
Sudbury
Public
FR
|
Set by STO | 2 étapes (2 semesters) | Septembre | |
|
Northern College
Timmins
Public
EN
|
Set by STO | ~4.5 years (Level 1: 8 wk, Level 2: 10 wk, Level 3: 10 wk in-school) | 9,000 h | Per STO schedule |
|
Sault College
Sault Ste. Marie
Public
EN
|
Set by STO | 3 levels: Basic 8 wk + Intermediate 10 wk + Advanced 10 wk | Per STO schedule |
Ottawa 2 schools
| School | Tuition | Length | Total hours | Next cohort |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Algonquin College
Ottawa
Public
EN
|
Set by STO | 1 year (2 semesters) | 560 h | September, January |
|
Collège La Cité
Ottawa
Public
FR
|
Set by STO | 36 semaines (4 niveaux × 9 semaines, réparties sur 3 à 5 ans) | 1,080 h | Automne, hiver, printemps/été |
Southwestern 6 schools
| School | Tuition | Length | Total hours | Next cohort |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Conestoga College
Kitchener
Public
EN
|
Set by STO | 4 levels | 1,050 h | Varies — first-come, first-served |
|
Fanshawe College
London
Public
EN
|
Level 1 $358.31; Level 2 $829.14 | Level 1: 8 weeks; Level 2: 10 weeks | November, other levels per STO | |
|
IBEW Local 804 Training Centre
Kitchener
Union
EN
|
Contact local | 10-week summer pre-apprenticeship + 9,000 h indentured apprenticeship | Cohort-based, per Local calendar | |
|
Lambton College
Sarnia
Public
EN
|
$4,250 | 1 year (2 terms) | September | |
|
North American Trade Schools (NATS)
London
Private
EN
|
$11,195 | 30 weeks | 600 h | Rolling |
|
St. Clair College
Windsor
Public
EN
|
Set by STO | 1 year (2 semesters) | September, January (Windsor); September (Chatham) |
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How to become a licensed electrician in Ontario
- Finish the basics. Grade 10 minimum; a high-school diploma with Grade 12 English and math is strongly preferred and often required by employers and programs.
- (Optional) Do a pre-apprenticeship. A college pre-apprenticeship gives you Level 1 training and a leg up finding a sponsoring employer. Not mandatory, but it helps if you don’t already have one.
- Find a sponsoring employer and register your apprenticeship with Skilled Trades Ontario. You can’t start logging hours until you’re registered with an employer willing to train you (max one apprentice per journeyperson).
- Work and learn — 9,000 hours. 7,950 hours on the job plus 1,050 hours of in-school technical training across 4 levels, alternating work terms with school blocks.
- Write the Certificate of Qualification exam. After completing the apprenticeship, you challenge the provincial 309A C of Q exam.
- Get licensed. Pass the exam and you hold your 309A Certificate of Qualification — a licensed electrician in Ontario, with Red Seal endorsement for mobility across Canada.
Timelines vary. The apprenticeship is measured in hours, not calendar years — how fast you reach your C of Q depends on how steadily you accumulate work hours.
Ontario electrician median wage
$34/hr
Median hourly wage for electricians in Ontario (NOC 72200), ranging from $20.00 to $50.50 an hour depending on experience and region. Source: Government of Canada Job Bank, updated November 2025 (2023–2024 reference period).
→ Read the full guide: How to Become an Electrician in Ontario
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a licence to be an electrician in Ontario?
Yes. Electrician (309A Construction and Maintenance) is a compulsory trade in Ontario — it’s illegal to work in it without a valid Certificate of Qualification or being a registered apprentice working under the required ratio. The C of Q is administered by Skilled Trades Ontario.
How long does it take to become a certified electrician in Ontario?
About 5 years. The apprenticeship is 9,000 hours total — 7,950 on the job and 1,050 in school across 4 levels — followed by the Certificate of Qualification exam. The timeline depends on how consistently you log work hours.
What’s the difference between a certificate, a licence, and the C of Q?
In Ontario they refer to the same thing for a compulsory trade. The Certificate of Qualification (C of Q) is your licence to work as an electrician — you earn it by completing the apprenticeship and passing the provincial exam.
Do I need to go to college to become an electrician in Ontario?
Not strictly — the core requirement is a registered apprenticeship. But the 1,050 hours of in-school technical training are delivered by colleges, so you’ll attend college for the Level 1–4 blocks. Many people also start with an optional college pre-apprenticeship to improve their odds of landing a sponsoring employer.
What is 309A, and what are 309C and 442A?
309A is the Construction and Maintenance Electrician — the general, most common electrician trade in Ontario. 309C is the Domestic and Rural electrician and 442A is the Industrial electrician. Most “become an electrician” plans target 309A; check which trade a program maps to if you want a specialised route.
How much does electrician school cost in Ontario?
It depends on the route. Pre-apprenticeship programs are often tuition-supported (sometimes free). The in-school apprenticeship levels charge a per-level tuition set provincially. College certificate and private-career-college programs set their own tuition. Check each listing below for its current figure.
Can I work as an electrician across Canada with an Ontario licence?
A 309A Certificate of Qualification carries Red Seal endorsement, which supports mobility across much of Canada. You should still confirm the specific requirements of the province or territory where you plan to work.
Do I get paid during my apprenticeship?
Yes. Apprenticeship is paid employment — you work for a licensed employer and earn a wage that rises as you progress through the levels. The in-school blocks are the unpaid classroom portion (you may be eligible for EI or grants during them).