PEC Program Courses
Course Outlines
These are the courses required for a Master Electrician to receive their PEC Designation.
This course will introduce you to the common terms and concepts used in accounting, along with showing you how to use accounting tools to attain goals, analyze your business, and create strategies for future growth. The goal is to develop awareness of how to read financial reports to understand your companies financial position. You will learn practical skills to help you develop, interpret and use financial information, identify problems and opportunities, and focus your resources toward a successful electrical contracting business.
Course participants will acquire a basic understanding of running an Electrical Contracting business through business development, planning, operations, human resources, marketing, and customer relations.
PEC Business Development Core Competencies
- Business Development and Planning: Environmental scanning – current state. Mission, Goals, Strategies, Prioritization, Differentiation, Monitoring performance
- Operations (Products/Services): Align operational investments to strategy: Revenue/expense opportunities. Product Differentiation. • Human Resources: Aligning HR needs with strategy. HR Administration: Recruitment, selection, onboarding and performance management
- Marketing: Aligning marketing initiatives with strategy. Market segmentation. Owned, paid, earned and social media. Technology – cost benefit analysis.
- Customer Relations: Align customer programs to strategy. Target markets. Customer value proposition. Communications. Using technology and social media. Complaints, loyalty and referrals
This 3-day course will cover types of estimates, organizing the estimate, labor units, computer estimating and finalizing the tender. Goals of this course include how to do an estimate using a set of drawings and specs applying take off terms and procedures to finalize and submit tender documents and develop an estimate in a format that can be used as a Project Management tool.
This course will increase your awareness and understanding of legal issues and pitfalls common to electrical contractors. The course will also address incorporation, income tax and GST, construction contracts, subcontracts and liability thereunder as well as how to ensure payment for your work – including remedies available under The Builders’ Lien Act.
Once given a successful bid package, you will develop an awareness of how to apply ten project management knowledge areas and five processes to derive a project charter and project schedule. From here you will then learn how to manage the project to successful commissioning and close out.
Legislation recognizes a PEC as an “Employer”. This course lays the groundwork to develop a successful safety program, and mitigate additional employer risk. We’ll learn to identify common gaps found in safety systems, simple ways to interpret legislation, and many other valuable tools including: OH&S Obligations (Employer & Worker); Employee Competency; WCB Expectations; Claims Management Strategies; CSA Z463 & Z462.
Continuing Education Course Outlines
These continuing education courses are available to anyone in the industry and are excellent Annual Professional Development (APD) opportunities for all PEC’s
This course is designed for the Professional Electrical Contractor (PEC), Certified Master Electrician (CME), Registered Master Electrician (RME), Safety Codes Officer (SCO) and Master Electrician (ME) that desired to maintain their designation or any electrician that desired to keep up-to-date on the current Canadian Electrical Code as it applies to the industry in Alberta. Typically presented by senior Safety Codes Officers (SCO’s) and held in several locations in the province.
For small contractors who are not ready to make the investment in a computerized estimating system.
Designed to teach new contractors the fundamentals of preparing an electrical estimate using the Elemental Format hands-on. The course will address material take-off, pricing of materials, labouring of materials using the NECA Manual of Labour Units, labour costs, special overheads, general overheads and profit/contingencies.
The design build course is an orientation to a relatively popular project delivery method that is intended for estimators, managers, engineers, executives and owners of electrical contracting firms to address opportunities in design build and expand their market share.
This course is required to be completed before PEC application reaches the PEC Board.
Available through the ECAA Online Training site (hyperlink www.ecaatraining.com) This course is designed for a Master Electrician to obtain a professional designation and certification as a Professional Electrical Contractor (PEC) and Certified Master Electrician (CME). This is a requirement under the Professional Electrical Contractor and Master Electrician Regulation for PEC’s and CME’s but is available to anyone with an interest in this material. The course is based on the ECAA Code of Good Practices which encapsulates the Code of Ethics as outlined in the PEC and ME Regulation.
Several scenarios are included and there is a final set of questions designed to help you think ethically. When 75% of them are answered correctly you will have a certificate of completion recorded for you. This course is not intended to be an exhaustive study of ethics, but rather it will serve as a point of increased awareness of how our ethics influence our daily decisions, and in turn, our industry.
ECAA PEC Mentoring Program
- The mentor’s role is restricted to providing suggestions, guidance, advice, opinions, examples, scenarios, or case studies.
- The mentee takes all information provided by the mentor under advisement in making career, professional and personal decisions.
- Job Coaching is beyond the scope of this proposal.
- The mentor and mentee do not receive or give any monetary allotment for the mentoring sessions.
- Involvement of Mentee’s organization in mentoring process must be considered on a case by case basis.
- Clarifying-the mentees experience, skills, values, and interest.
- Capacity testing-of the mentees goals (SMART format).
- Advising-the mentee on: how to get information, how to approach opportunities and threats, interpersonal and group dynamics, ideas and beliefs related to their career.
- Planning– assist the mentee to develop an action plan with mileposts for career and leadership development. This could include suggestions about: selected readings, professional development activities, a review of proficiencies and credentials, workshops, or seminars.
- Confidentiality– what is discussed in the mentoring session must stay in the mentoring session. Sessions should not be discussed with others by the mentor or mentee unless both the mentor and mentee agree that a specific item may be discussed with specific outside people.
- Respect– each other’s time to ensure minimum sessions and hours are achieved.
- Location for mentoring session– choose quiet surroundings where confidentiality can be maintained.
- Timing–
a. Unless acceptable to the mentee’s employer, the mentoring sessions should be held outside of the mentees working hours.
b. Mentoring should occur over a set period of typically 4 to 6 months. Meetings should occur a minimum of two times per month for a minimum of 1 hour to a suggested maximum of 2 hours per meeting. The mentoring period should be a suggested minimum of12 hours to a maximum of 24 hours.
c. At the initial mentoring session:i. The mentor should review guidelines, goal setting and how to develop an action plan.
ii. The mentee should clarify their experience, skills, values and interests.
iii. The two parties should mutually agree on the timing of the next meeting before the end of any mentoring session. - Agenda– to be drafted by the mentee and should be emailed or texted to the mentor two days prior to the next mentoring session.
- Boundary setting
a. Mentoring : i. Is NOT counseling for work, family or personal issues,
ii. Is NOT tutoring or teaching,
iii. Is NOT a job reference or job search,
iv. Is NOT a “complaint” session,
v. Is NOT a quick fix session.
vi. Is dependent on Mentee’s motivation and readiness
vii. Is dependent on Mentors one on one skills and knowledge / experience - Matching of Mentor and Mentee–
a. Based on needs, geography and knowledge areas.
b. Complete mentor / mentee application form and submit to ECAA office.
c. Continuous improvement is the goal – the at end of each mentoring session, mentor should ask:i. Start- Something mentor should start doing
ii. STOP-Something mentor should stop doing
iii. Continue –what went well - Record-keeping for Mentoring Sessions
a. If the mentor or mentee is claiming PEC APD (annual professional development) points then a common RPT Form/ PEC APD Mentor sheet must be filled out for each mentoring session. Form attached at end of this document. One hour of mentoring or being mentored = 1 APD point
A mentor is an experienced person (not necessarily older) who typically has worked in several areas of the industry and also has management experience. A mentor could be a PEC or subject matter expert. A critical component in the mentoring relationship is a mutual respect between the mentor and mentee. The mentor acts as your advisor, providing advice on career paths and leadership, not a tutor for skills to do your job (that is job coaching).
A mentee is the person being mentored. A mentee could be:
- a regular PEC member
- a student PEC or a PEC who also requires mentoring in leadership, interpersonal and communication skills or
- an internationally trained electrician who requires mentoring in the Canadian electrical workplace culture.
Specific goals, one idea only.
Measurable goals.
Action verb in your goal.
Realistic and relevant.
Time bound, have mileposts or target date.
Appeals against any decision made by the practice review or discipline committee or education committee are to follow documented PEC guidelines.