Apprenticeships

Take the first step on your way to a rewarding career in the electrical trades by applying for a union electrician apprenticeship. Earn while you learn!

Our 3- and 5-year programs combine practical work with structured training to give you both a nationally recognized qualification and the experience you need for many different careers in the electrical industry.

MVNECA member contractors support the residential and commercial electrician apprentice programs run by the Youngstown Area Electrical JATC and Warren Electrical JATC. Applications are taken year-round, and we're always looking for qualified candidates.

Visit ATradeThatPays.com to see video testimonials from some of the most recent classes, and learn more about the career opportunities an apprenticeship affords - and how to apply - by visiting the Youngstown JATC or Warren JATCs websites.

Youngstown JATC

Warren JATC

At my school we wear our backpacks around our waist.

Benefits of Union Apprenticeship Programs Through IBEW - NECA

One of the greatest things about becoming an electrician is that it’s standard practice to receive paid on-the-job training in the form of an apprenticeship. And as apprentice electricians gain more skills and experience over the four-to-six years it takes to complete an apprenticeship program, their earnings also increase accordingly.

When looking for an apprenticeship program, the big decision every aspiring electrician faces is whether to join the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and become part of the long-standing tradition of unionized tradesmen, or to try to find a non-union shop looking to take on a trainee.

Apprenticeship programs with unionized electrical contracting companies are coordinated through Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committees (JATCs), which have multiple offices in every state to cover virtually every major city and surrounding area in the nation. JATCs are sponsored through a partnership between local chapters of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA). This partnership is known as the Electrical Training Alliance.

Participating in an apprenticeship through the Electrical Training Alliance means becoming a life-long, card-carrying, dues-paying member of the IBEW union and getting all the benefits and collective bargaining rights that come along with that.

Getting into a Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee Electrical Program

Getting into a union apprenticeship program will usually require you to meet the following qualifications:

A high school diploma or GED
Completion of an algebra class
A driver’s license or state issued identification
Passing a drug test
Being able to work in a physically demanding environment
Passing an admittance exam
Being at least 18 – some programs accept younger applicants if the JATC is included in a high school job training program

How Training Programs Are Organized

Every jurisdiction establishes its own requirements for electrician training in accordance with local laws and licensing regulations, and local JATCs develop their programs specifically to meet these requirements. Depending on the journeyman licensing requirements in your jurisdiction, these programs can take between four and six years to complete and incorporate:

Between 576 and 1,000 hours of classroom-based instruction
Between 8,000 and 10,000 hours of on-the-job experience and training

Once you’re admitted you can expect to start learning a lot, both on the job and in the classroom. Depending on the rules in place in your jurisdiction, you may be expected to complete required classroom hours related to safety and electrical theory prior to being admitted into an apprentice program. In most cases, classroom hours are completed through classes scheduled for certain days during the years you are in your apprentice program. JATC apprenticeship programs will include the classroom hours as part of the program, with classes usually held at the local JATC office.

What You Learn in an Electrician Apprenticeship and Training Program

Transitioning from the classroom into the actual workplace is exciting. As you begin your on-the-job training you can expect to start with the basics. By the end of your first week you’ll be an expert in stripping a wire and bending conduit. Just hang in there – it quickly gets a lot more technical than that.

The wide range of skills you learn on the job as part of your apprenticeship and training program will include:

Installing residential, commercial, and industrial wiring systems
Reading and understanding blueprints and schematics
Working with systems that involve differing voltages
Repairing and installing electrical machinery
Using voltmeters, ammeters, harmonics testers, and ohmmeters
Installing fuses and circuit breakers
Learning how to inspect a completed electrical system
Replacing new circuit breaker boxes

Your on-the-job training will take place in a wide variety of settings, which will have a significant bearing on what you learn. Examples of different locations include:

City utility companies
Aviation companies
Military contractors
Manufacturing factories
Arenas and coliseums
Construction companies
Internet and telephone companies
Power plants, including solar
Hospitals, schools, and prisons
Government offices

As you progress through the weeks and months of your apprenticeship program you’ll learn skills that become increasingly more complex and technical in nature, building on what you have already mastered. Your classroom-based and on-the-job training is divided into relevant segments that will eventually cover all of the important knowledge and skills you need to pass the journeyman examination.