Electrician Classes in Hawaii (Top Schools)

As Hawaii continues to develop, electricians will become more in demand.

In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projected a 13.8% increase in electrical jobs by the end of 2024.

So if you want to enter this profession, now’s a great time for you to do so.

Below, you’ll learn how you can become a licensed electrician in Hawaii.

Potential Salary

Hawaiian electricians will continue to receive higher-than-average salaries over this decade.

Per BLS, they will have the following salary information as of May 2021:

Mean Wage:

• Annually – $79,290
• Hourly – $38.12

Regional Salary

How to Become a Licensed Electrician in Hawaii

The HI Board of Electricians and Plumbers regulates and issues the following license types:

• Journey worker electrician
• Journey worker industrial electrician
• Journey worker specialty electrician
• Maintenance electrician
• Supervising electrician
• Supervising industrial electrician
• Supervising specialty electrician

Qualifications

The Board requires that you meet the following minimum requirements:

• Journey worker electrician
  • Must be at least 18 years old
  • Five years (no less than 10,000 hours ) of supervised experience in residential or commercial wiring
  • Completed 240 hours of accepted electrical academic coursework at a University of Hawaii Community College (UHCC)
• Journey worker industrial electrician
  • Must be at least 18 years old
  • Four years (no less than 8,000 hours) of supervised experience in industrial electrical work
  • Completed 200 hours of accepted electrical academic coursework at a UHCC
• Journey worker specialty electrician
  • Must be at least 18 years old
  • Three years (no less than 6,000 hours) of supervised experience in the trade
  • Completed 120 hours of accepted electrical academic coursework at a UHCC
• Maintenance electrician
  • Must be at least 18 years old
  • Either of the following:
    • Option 1
      • One year of supervised experience in electrical maintenance work
      • Completed 80 hours of accepted electrical academic coursework at a UHCC
    • Option 2
      • Two years of schooling in the trade with no less than 1,000 hours of hands-on lab exercises
• Supervising electrician
  • Four years of experience as a licensed journey worker electrician or equivalent
• Supervising industrial electrician
  • Three years of experience as a licensed journey worker industrial electrician or equivalent
• Supervising specialty electrician
  • Two years of experience as a licensed journey worker specialty electrician or equivalent

License Application

To apply for a license, you need to submit the following to the Board for approval:

• Duly accomplished application for exam and license form
• Application fee – $40
• Completed and notarized Experience Verification – Electrician Only form/s from each licensed electrician whom you received training and experience
• Proof of completion of the required electrical academic coursework
• If you have any disciplinary action or criminal conviction, submit a letter of explanation and other supporting documents

If the Board approves your application, you can sit for the licensure exam.

If you successfully pass the exam, you will send the payment for the license fee:

• First year of the triennium – $306
• Second year – $204
• Third year – $102

Exam Details

The Board has contracted with Prometric to help administer the licensure exams.

In order to take the exam, you must submit to Prometric the following:

• Exam registration form
• Approval letter from the Board to sit for the exam
• Exam fee – $95

The exam will be an open book, with the NFPA-70 NEC book available to you at the test center.

• Journey worker electrician – 70 questions in 3 hours
• Journey worker industrial electrician – 70 questions in 3 hours
• Journey worker specialty electrician – 50 questions in 2 hours
• Maintenance electrician – 50 questions in 2 hours
• Supervising electrician – 70 questions in 3 hours
• Supervising industrial electrician – 70 questions in 3 hours
• Supervising specialty electrician – 50 questions in 2 hours

You need to score at least 70% to pass the exam.

License Renewal

Regardless of the issuance date, all electrician licenses will expire on June 30 every three years.

To qualify for renewal, you must meet the continuing competency requirement*, either:

• Proof of attendance to an approved CE course on the NEC updates
• Completed a Board-prescribed exam on the current NEC updates

Once you’ve met this and provided evidence, submit an online renewal application through the DCCA MyPVL.

The renewal fee is as follows:

• Active status – $306
• Inactive status – $12

Note (*):
This applies to all active license holders except maintenance electricians.
If you’re newly licensed (within one year from the renewal date) or an inactive license holder, you’re not subjected to this requirement.

How to Become an Independent Electrical Contractor in Hawaii

The HI Contractors License Board regulates and issues electrical contractor licenses.

Before anything else, you must determine your type of application:

• Sole proprietor
• Entity

Qualifications

The Board requires that you meet these qualifications:

• For sole proprietors
  • Must be at least 18 years old
  • Have good reputation
  • Four years of supervisory experience within the past 10 years
  • Successfully pass the required exams
  • Have a definite place of business
  • Obtain worker’s compensation insurance
  • Obtain liability and property damage insurance
    • Bodily injury
      • $100,000 per person
      • $300,000 per occurrence
    • Property damage – $50,000 per occurrence
• For entities
  • Have been registered with the Business Registration Division (BREG)
  • Have a good reputation
  • Obtain worker’s compensation and liability and property damage insurance
  • Designated a Responsible Managing Employee (RME)

License Application

To apply, you need to submit the following to the Board for approval to sit for the exam:

• Duly accomplished Application For Contractor’s License – Sole Proprietor or Entity form
• Application fee – $50
• Compiled, reviewed, or audited financial statements in the last 12 months with an independent accountant’s report
• Current and complete credit report in the last five years issued by a credit reporting agency not more than six months ago
• Current HI State Tax Clearance issued not more than six months ago
• Copy of the current trade name registration, if applicable
• Copy of the business registration
  • If registered for less than one year, a file-stamped copy of the document filed with BREG
  • If more than one year, the current Certificate of Good Standing
• If you have any disciplinary action or criminal conviction, submit a letter of explanation and other supporting documents

Additional requirements for sole proprietors:

• Three notarized experience certificates completed by persons who’ll validate your experience (employer, supervisor, fellow employee, etc.)
• Chronological History of Projects Form

Additional requirement for entities:

• Principal RME application form

Once you’ve passed the exam (sole proprietors) or received the Board’s approval (entities), you must meet these requirements to earn your license:

• Definite place of business
• Worker’s compensation insurance
• Liability and property damage insurance
• Applicable license fee

Exam Details

To take the exam, submit to Prometric the following:

• Exam registration form
• Approval letter from the Board
• Exam fee – $75

The exam will have two parts:

• Business and law exam – 80-item closed-book exam to be completed in 3 hours
• C-13 Electrical contractor exam – 40-item open-book exam to be completed in 2 hours

You must score at least 75% on both parts to pass the licensure exam.

License Renewal

Regardless of the issuance date, your license will expire on September 30 every even-numbered year.

To qualify for renewal, you must meet the following:

• Maintained a place of business
• Maintained and provided proof of continuous insurance coverage

Additional requirement for entity:

• Maintain entity-RME requirements

To renew, you must submit the following:

• Completed renewal application form
• Proof of maintaining the renewal requirements
• Applicable renewal fee

Electrical Training Programs and Schools in Hawaii

Generally, you can obtain electrical education, training, and experience in two ways:

• Vocation schools
• Apprenticeship programs

In Hawaii, schools generally provide an Electrical Installation and Maintenance Technology (EIMT) diploma.

Attending one of the UHCC schools will prepare you for entry-level jobs and for your professional license.

On the other hand, applying for apprenticeship programs is done through the HI Electricians Training Fund.

In order to get accepted, you need to meet these minimum requirements:

• Must be at least 18 years old
• Holds a high school diploma or GED equivalent
• Passing grade in high school algebra
• Physically fit
• Pass the general aptitude test and interview

This page is also available in Spanish.