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What is a plant electrician and how to become one
The Plant Electrician, also often referred to as an industrial electrician, works in many different environments but usually is found in industrial plants and factories and is tasked with conducting examinations, tests, and complex electrical equipment repairs.
The Electrician is also often asked to install new industrial equipment, even entire networks, and systems. Amongst other things, they are also usually asked to cooperate with teams of other electricians and engineers, to observe, understand, and know safety procedures and electrical codes, perform inspections, make reports, and design or alter plans based on collected data.
A person hoping to work as a Plant Electrician should have at least a high school diploma or a GED, though employers may often ask for an Associate's degree in a relevant field. The individual also must have either completed a course relevant to the job or have equivalent experience in a similar position.
What general advice would you give to a plant electrician?
Ronald Widdoss
Avg. Salary $62,953
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 7%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.87%
Asian 2.29%
Black or African American 9.00%
Hispanic or Latino 18.11%
Unknown 4.29%
White 65.44%
Genderfemale 2.15%
male 97.85%
Age - 41American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 41Stress level is high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is challenging
7 - challenging
Work life balance is fair
6.4 - fair
Plant electrician career paths
Key steps to become a plant electrician
Explore plant electrician education requirements
Start to develop specific plant electrician skills
Skills Percentages PLC 8.16% Electrical Equipment 6.81% Hand Tools 3.68% NEC 3.61% Electrical Schematics 3.59% Complete relevant plant electrician training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 4-10 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New plant electricians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a plant electrician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real plant electrician resumes.Obtain the necessary licensing
Becoming a licensed plant electrician usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed plant electrician in most of states. 25 states require plant electricians to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.State Education Exam License url Alabama - State exam required Licensed Journeyman Electrician Alaska - State exam required Electrical Worker Arkansas - Third-party exam required Journeyman Electrician Colorado - State exam required Journeyman Electrician Hawaii Degree required State exam required Electrician Research plant electrician duties and responsibilities
- Lead team to retrofit outdate piece of CNC machinery to allow usage for production personnel on a new design part.
- Train other maintenance personnel on proper electrical safety, troubleshooting, and NEC compliant wiring methods.
- Work with high and low voltage DC.
- Perform inspections on high voltage switches and transformers.
Prepare your plant electrician resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your plant electrician resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a plant electrician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable plant electrician resume templates
Build a professional plant electrician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your plant electrician resume.
Apply for plant electrician jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a plant electrician job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first plant electrician job
Are you a plant electrician?
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Average plant electrician salary
The average plant electrician salary in the United States is $62,953 per year or $30 per hour. Plant electrician salaries range between $47,000 and $83,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do plant electricians rate their job?
Plant electrician reviews
Bending pipe,cause it cost me money if the measurements is off
Thinking about the job while working the job
Is to keep lights burning to satisfy customers
The customers siting on the dark
Nothing? Its the worst job on site and you have to put up with working with uneducated divs. And thats just the management.
Retarded trades who think they are special. They don't realise to be an electrician requires superior brain power, something they can only dream about. Hence the continual flapping of their gums trying to make us believe their dull useless lives are interesting.
Updated January 8, 2025
