Becoming a Power Line Technician is rewarding, but isn’t for everyone. Each year FortisAlberta recruits a number of candidates to join our Temporary Labourer program for six (6) month temporary positions. These competitive positions begin with initial discussions and interviews with the selection team, with the top candidates being invited to a three (3) day “bootcamp” at the EDC – a final opportunity for candidates to showcase their skills and learn the basics of climbing poles and building power lines. At the end of the bootcamp, the top candidates are offered positions with either our travelling construction crews or with training crews based in Lethbridge, Red Deer, or Spruce Grove.

At the end of their temporary assignment, labourers may be offered a permanent position and indentured as Apprentice Power Line Technicians. Apprentice positions may be offered at any of our service points, depending on the needs of our teams. 

During each of the first three years of the program, apprentices are mentored by experienced journeymen and undergo a minimum of 1,525 hours of paid, on-the-job training as well as four to five weeks of technical training and examination at our EDC facility. In their fourth year, apprentices complete a minimum of 1,800 hours of additional paid, on-the-job training and prepare for the national Red Seal final examination. Once they complete their required hours of work and pass their final examination, apprentice PLTs become Red Seal Journeyman Power Line Technicians.

FortisAlberta's journeymen PLTs have access to additional training at the EDC, including courses such as:

• Equipotential Bonding & Grounding (EB&G) Theory
• Substation Switching Certification
• System Switching Certification
• Basic and Advanced Live Line Certification

Other topics available for our journeymen to learn include specialized training on safety techniques, work methods, metering systems, remote apparatus operations, and construction heavy equipment.