It's not a matter of practical experience, it's a matter of gatekeeping.
The way an apprenticeship works is that the apprentice does the work, then the contractor signs off on it, then the government inspector signs off on it.
This obviously makes no sense, right? If the apprentice does work that won't pass inspection then it won't pass inspection regardless of whether an existing contractor looks at it first, so no one is being protected from anything by that. If they do work that will pass inspection then what non-protectionist purpose is there in forcing them to have a competing existing contractor sign off on it before they can have it inspected for real?
In theory the competing contractor could be supervising the apprentice while they're doing the work instead of giving them some work to do and then leaving them to it while they do some other work themselves or take a long lunch, but there is nothing to enforce that happening and therefore the expectation that it reliably does is a fictional academic reality inconsistent with real incentives.
Precisely. As someone who has done work in my home that has passed inspection, there’s a lot more to it than just taking a test. It’s the “how things are supposed to work” meets “how am I going to actually make this work” X factor that takes time and ultimately what people pay for.
>I can see exactly where the practical experience would be invaluable.
Who do you think has more practical experience that will be relevant to spotting an error in a plan for some circuits that will bring power to some chillers?
Some guy who's spent 5yr installing outlets and light fixtures in luxury 5-over-1 apartment buildings for FANNG-twats and has the license to go with or some guy who's spent 5yr doing the machinery wiring and controls (i.e. "after the outlet" stuff you don't need a license for) in an cardboard manufacturing facility?
I'm not saying these people should be unlicensed. Frankly I don't care. If they're gonna be licensed though then the license should be accessible to those with the relevant skill and knowledge and not be a protectionist gate keeping exercise at the expense of everyone in society that needs access to this kind of labor.
The comments in here speak volumes. Talk about being blinded by ideology.
I'm reminded of the phrase "regulations are written in blood".
I'm also tempted to point out that anybody can give high-voltage work a whirl.... once.
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But what do I know, I'm not a sparky, I'm one of them snot-nosed software engineering types. Y'know, the one engineering field that's too free and clever to get licensed, bonded, insured, or unionized. /s
Who needs regulation, anyways? I bet Matthew Broderick's Wargames was pure science fiction, and Upton Sinclair's The Jungle was just an exaggeration. Let's go burn some OSHA manuals and start up an Ayn Rand bookclub! /s
I cannot over-stress the gulf between residential and industrial here.
The guy who's day job includes dealing with "after the outlet" electrical stuff in an industrial setting is gonna be just as if not more qualified to hop on over into a data center or other industrial setting and to the actual "affixed to the building" wiring than some guy who's been doing residential houses and apartments for most of his career but holds the magic piece of paper that the ignorant think is more valuable than it is. He should be allowed to pay money, take whatever education to fill in gaps and take the tests and get the license without wasting years.
