# Local 353- JAC post aptitude test



## theoriginalfit661 (Apr 16, 2017)

Bd416 said:


> P.s i heard rumours the ibew and the trades in general dont tend to hire visible minorities(which i am) and im wondering if this is true. Thanks please let me know if anyone else has gone through this and any insight would help.


So I was talking to a JW yesterday at the jobsite where I currently work, he said the same thing.......


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## soontobe (Apr 30, 2017)

Did you get the email yet, telling you if you are progressing or not?


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## Bd416 (Apr 25, 2017)

Yeah i got the email on friday, they said i didnt get in. Im surprised but maybe next year.


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## Bd416 (Apr 25, 2017)

theoriginalfit661 said:


> Bd416 said:
> 
> 
> > P.s i heard rumours the ibew and the trades in general dont tend to hire visible minorities(which i am) and im wondering if this is true. Thanks please let me know if anyone else has gone through this and any insight would help.
> ...


Yeah i heard it recently from a unionized plumber the other day. He said the 5 years he worked under the union were brutal. His coworkers would always try to get him laid off or pick on him. Only way he got in was because his mother was an accountant at the plumbers union.


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## Asaddc (Feb 13, 2017)

Hey man, sorry to hear that you didn't get in, have you any experience in the trade, or in construction at all?

Also, what did the questions consist of? I was thinking of applying to the IBEW 353 as well, though I have to wait till the next intake. How many people were over at the JAC test center anyways? I heard there could be thousands.


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## soontobe (Apr 30, 2017)

Asaddc, I applied during the intake and got in. Over 900 people applied. There is a 1 in 8 chance of being accepted. Your grades, resume, professional references and current job is important. I taught myself Physics to even be able to apply. The test is incredibly difficult in my opinion. You either know the stuff on it or you don't and if you havent seen the things on the test in real life, you will have to guess an answer.


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## Bd416 (Apr 25, 2017)

Assad, yeah i have 3 years of maintaince experience, 6 months of plc & automation, 9 months of electrical assembly (my current job) and currently doing general labour and home renovation. 

And the questions were logical math word problems, shapes and mechanical questions like "actual size of 2 by 4 studs, identify size of screws #8, #10, reading a measuring tape, cw/ccw motor, questions about car maintenance and basic building codes(studs should be placed 16inches apart) etc.

Lots of people at the test day, maybe 300-400 i saw.


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## Bd416 (Apr 25, 2017)

soontobe said:


> Asaddc, I applied during the intake and got in. Over 900 people applied. There is a 1 in 8 chance of being accepted. Your grades, resume, professional references and current job is important. I taught myself Physics to even be able to apply. The test is incredibly difficult in my opinion. You either know the stuff on it or you don't and if you havent seen the things on the test in real life, you will have to guess an answer.


Did u have anything that stood out in ur application? Grade percentage? Work experience? Education? Age? Or a connection?
Thanks


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## soontobe (Apr 30, 2017)

I dont have any connections. My test score for the strength test was good. My grades are all in the 80-98% range. I work in a shop. No college education. You dont need a diploma, degree or anything to be accepted.


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## Bd416 (Apr 25, 2017)

How many timrs did you apply?


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## active1 (Dec 29, 2009)

"P.s i heard rumours the ibew and the trades in general dont tend to hire visible minorities"

Any hall may be different but I call BS on that statement.
The reality is a lot of people don't make the apprenticeship cut.
It has more to do with who you know and where your working at.

If your working at a non-union company that the union has been battling, then you have a better chance. Your family members belong to the hall, your in. Your best friends with the BA's son. Good chance. Your uncle is a suit at the AFL, your getting in. Friends, family, religious connections (Mormon here), groups (Free Masons). I have not known too many to get in the union on the first try. Depends how many openings (based on facilities and job market) vs applicants. 

In the IBEW I have worked with the most diverse group of different race, sex (woman), and age. My experience is more the non-union lacks diversity in race, women, and age of those near retirement or are retired and working part time. Plenty of problems with the IBEW but from my local discrimination is not one.


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## soontobe (Apr 30, 2017)

This is my first time applying


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

Bd416 said:


> P.s i heard rumours the ibew and the trades in general dont tend to hire visible minorities(which i am) and im wondering if this is true. Thanks please let me know if anyone else has gone through this and any insight would help.


I only know the Union on this side of the border, that said I think it's total BS.

I highly doubt any one marked 'not this one' on the application for those sitting at a table and making the decisions.


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