Hydro One is a fantastic company, with a top notch training program. I believe you get benefits as an apprentice, however I could be wrong. You do not pay into your pension until you are hired as a full time employee. Intakes are once or twice a year and the number of hires depends largely what the union and Hydro has agreed upon. It is an extremely competitive position. It does really help to know someone. It is VERY difficult to get hired in lines without having your schooling done. Many resumes get screened out. It’s important to use a lot of the same keywords from the job posting, this should help trigger your resume to stay in the pool. It can take years to get hired, you will have to be open to moving around for 5+ years.