Red Seal Electrician – Christopher Penner

Like many young adults, I had no clear path for what I wanted to pursue as a career. I found the electrical pre apprenticeship course at UFV and I decided that’s where I wanted to start even if I didn’t end up sticking with it. The course allowed me to discover how much I enjoyed working with my hands and by the end of the 6 months I was excited to find a company to continue to grow my skills.

That’s where STEP came in! Shortly after my course was completed, Doug and STEP made very quick work to provide me with the necessary PPE and power tools I’d need to start working for any electrical company as an apprentice. Not only did they provide the needed support for tools, I was also guided on how to restructure my resume and given a solid list of employers looking for apprentices to get me started on my path.

I handed out three resumes and got two calls back within the next day, which is where I made the choice to work for Mega Electric.

The people you work for/with will make or break the experience and I’ve been very fortunate to only work with kind and knowledgeable people who want to see me grow and succeed, not just in work but in life as well.

I’ve now been employed with Mega Electric for 5 years and am learning the responsibilities of being a foreman and what it takes to run my own jobs under one of the owners, Derek.

Never would I have thought that I’d look forward to waking up for work every morning, but starting a career in electrical has absolutely given me that and I’m sure others out there can find that too.

—Christopher Penner, Red Seal Electrician, Mega Electric, Abbotsford, BC