www.ecao.org 10 APPRENTICESHIP INTERVIEW with an Apprentice Electrical Contractor:What made you decide to enter the electrical field? Matthew Johnson:Since high school I’ve wanted to go into a trade and electrical was something that always interested me. EC:How many years into your apprenticeship are you? MJ:I am in my fifth and final year. EC: What was the first step you took to begin the journey? MJ: I moved from Rainy River, Ontario, to Estevan, Saskatchewan, and got a job in the oilfield as an electrical apprentice. EC: Why Estevan? Did you know someone there? MJ: At the time everyone was heading out West.The oilfields were in full swing and there was lots of opportunity to work. My dad and I ran into a guy originally from my hometown. We got talking and found out his own son was an electrician in Estevan and there was tons of work. After that summer I called him up and moved out there looking for work and within a few weeks of being out there I landed a job. EC: Has the road to becoming an apprentice been a smooth one? What kind of trials and tribulations have you faced? MJ: It was not a smooth journey. I started out in Estevan and worked for a few months, but decided that I needed more of a background. I moved to Winnipeg and enrolled at Winnipeg Technical College and took their electrical program. Afterwards, I moved back to Ontario and waited two years to finally get signed on as an apprentice with Local 402 inThunder Bay. EC: Why was there a two-year wait? MJ: I had a two-year wait because at the time Local 402 was not taking apprentices. I continued to search and found a job with another contractor, but during that time very few jobs came up to apply for. THE STUDENT BEFORE HE BECOMES THE MASTER EC: What was it that finally got you in with Local 402? MJ: I feel like my resume was what really helped me get into the union. I had previous experience in the field and had an electrical program under my belt; mind you, it only got my foot in the door. After receiving a call back from them I had to write an aptitude test and do an interview with a hiring board. Fifth-year electrical apprentice Matthew Johnson sits down with Electrical Contractor to talk about his journey to becoming an electrical apprentice in Ontario, the struggles he’s had, and why he’d still do it all over again. In February 2019, Matthew and his wife Carly became first-time parents to a baby boy, Conley.