Apprentice Communication Protection & Control Technologist Full Time

Source: BC Hydro
Job Title: Apprentice Communication Protection & Control Technologist
Job Location: Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Hourly Salary: $ 41.57
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Providing clean electricity to 4 million customers takes a diverse workforce and that’s where you come in. We need your talent to help us build major projects to meet growing demand. To help our customers find clean energy solutions for their homes and businesses and to be ready to respond during storms and outages to keep our system reliable.

Working for BC Hydro is meaningful. And now, the stakes have been raised as we work towards a solution to climate change while safely providing clean, affordable electricity to our customers.

We offer a healthy work life balance, training opportunities and career progression. We’re proud to be ranked as one of B.C.’s Top Employers and one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers. Join us as we build an even cleaner B.C.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Duties:

As a trainee in this trade you will:
• Learn practical maintenance and troubleshooting skills from experienced technologists
• Study a variety of written technical material and complete assignments on various Communication, Protection and Control topics
• Receive practical and theoretical training in various disciplines through in-house and externally provided courses

Qualifications:

Working in an environment where the technology is changing at an increasingly rapid rate, you’ll need a keen interest and life long commitment to learning. The work is highly technical, involves sophisticated systems and equipment, and it appeals to those with good analytical skills who are also creative problem solvers.
The successful candidate will have:
• Completed a National Diploma Program in Electrical / Electronics Engineering Technology from an accredited institution with a Power and/or Communications Option. Please check with your place of education if you are unsure if your diploma qualifies you for this position.
• Computer literacy is essential and mechanical aptitude is required.
• Applicants should be physically fit with normal colour vision.
• Must hold valid Driver’s License (Regular, full license [BC’s Class 5] or New license [BC’s Class 7 “N”] with the ability to convert to Class 5 prior to job start date.
Please note: Where equivalent status is claimed, acceptable documentation must be provided by the applicant that will show equivalency of courses taken. Either a letter from your place of education or your instructor indicating the course(s) and stating that the course(s) taken would be considered equivalent to the BC Hydro educational requirements.
All candidates are requested to submit a copy of their resume and a copy of their transcripts demonstrating completion of a National Diploma Program in Electrical / Electronics Engineering Technology.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Besides having a challenging and satisfying career, you’re paid while you learn and have an excellent benefit package. Trainees earn 75% of the full trade rate with further increases during the training program. The starting trainee wage rate is $41.57 and the journeyperson wage rate is $55.42.
You will also receive:
– A comprehensive benefits package
– A minimum of 15 paid vacation days
– A lifetime pension
– Flexible work model, depending on your role type
– Training and development courses
For more information on the benefits we offer, visit bchydro.com/benefits.

What else you should know
This position is affiliated with the international Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union (IBEW local 258) www.ibew258.bc.ca
THE PROGRAM
Up to four years (48 months) of both on-the-job technical training at your headquarter and instructor led training at our Trades Training Center. Self-study with annual written and practical exams will form part of the program. Opportunities for high performing trainees to apply for acceleration will be encouraged.
THE FUTURE
When you graduate, you can apply for Communications, Protection and Control Technologist positions in BC Hydro as openings become available. There are 32 Communications, Protection and Control headquarters throughout B.C. The work at these headquarters can be roughly classified into two types:
Field work – involves travel to various types of work sites, usually on a daily basis, but occasionally for periods of a few days. Examples of work locations are substations, generating stations, mountain top sites and district offices. Inside work – involves work that is primarily based within your specific work location, where you will be reviewing technical drawings and schematics, performing computer-based testing and simulations inside control rooms, or office based work such as planning and data analysis.
Inside work – involves work mainly in one location, such as a central repair and resource facility, a major control centre or a major generating station. Some headquarters have a combination of inside and field work.
THE LOCATION
To ensure trainees obtain the maximum diversity of experience, trainees will be offered a variety of rotations during recruitment based on a ranking process. You may start at your first headquarters and attend either four months of training at BCIT in Burnaby or six weeks of training at Okanagan College in Kelowna depending on what program you graduate from then progress to your first headquarter. There will be regional based offerings, targeting areas like the Peace (Fort St John, Hudson Hope), Southern Interior (Mica Creek, Vernon), or Lower Mainland (Burnaby, Mission) where you will only relocate once. Other offerings will include three rotations throughout the province. For example, you may start in the Lower Mainland, move to Revelstoke and then to Victoria.
HOW TO APPLY
Update your Candidate Profile with your current resume, cover letter and copies of your certifications and other required documents.
For this position these include:
• Transcripts from completed or in progress National Diploma Program in Electrical / Electronics Engineering Technology from an accredited institution with a Power and/or Communications Option; You must have successfully completed this program and received your diploma no later than June 30, 2026.
• ICBC Driver’s Abstract, which can be obtained online at https://www.icbc.com/driver-licensing/getting-licensed/Pages/Your-driving-record.aspx or from a motor vehicle branch.
This will ensure we have all the necessary information to assess your application without any delays. The required documents must be received no later than MIDNIGHT SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2025.
Location: British Columbia, Canada

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit their applications online at https://app.bchydro.com/careers/current_opp.html by Dec 29, 2025.

Click here to access the job posting or visit the BC Hydro “Current Opportunities” Careers page to view and apply for jobs.

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On the BC Hydro Careers site, click on the Apply button in order to complete the steps to apply for this job. Please be sure to update your Candidate Profile with your current resume and include copies of your certifications, if applicable.
We’re always looking for exceptional people to bring new ideas, fresh thinking and the motivation to help shape the electricity system in B.C. It’s an exciting time to be a part of our team as we invest in our system and prepare to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

Our values guide our work. Want to join us?

We are safe.
We are here for our customers.
We are one team.
We include everyone.
We act with integrity and respect.
We are forward thinking.

BC Hydro is an equal opportunity employer.

We include everyone. We welcome applications from anyone, including members of visible minorities, women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, persons of minority sexual orientations and gender identities, and others with the skills and knowledge to productively engage with diverse communities.

We are also happy to provide reasonable accommodations throughout the selection process and while working at BC Hydro. If you require support applying online because you are a person with a disability, please contact us at [email protected]

Flexible work model role definitions
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Our four role types identify the degree of flexibility an employee could have to work from home based on the type of work they do. The flexibility for an individual job is up to the manager for each position and the operational requirements. Employees also have the right to work full-time from the office if they prefer. All of our roles require at least some in-person time.

IBEW/Field – No option to work from home
Resident – Works primarily (4+ days per week) in the office.
Hybrid – May be able to work from home up to 3 days per week.
Remote – Works from home 4+ days per week