Program Structure
The Houston Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee, an IBEW and NECA partnership, runs an electrical apprenticeship of at least 8,000 hours of on-the-job training and 180 classroom hours a year for four years. This listing covers the electrical route, not the JATC's telecommunications program. Apprentices work a full-time 40-hour week year-round, with occasional overtime, and attend class one night a week for four hours, generally September to June, with occasional extra classes. Most classes meet at the Electrical Training Center, 108 Covern Street, Houston. The curriculum covers residential, commercial and industrial installations, theory, print reading, grounding, controls, pipe bending and the National Electrical Code. The JATC places accepted apprentices with sponsoring contractors when jobs become available.
Requirements
You must be at least 18, a high school graduate or GED holder, physically fit, and have one year of high school algebra or equivalent with a passing grade. No prior electrical experience is needed. You must pass the Electrical Training Alliance aptitude test; documented 4,000 hours of electrical construction work can exempt you from the algebra and test requirements. Official transcripts must show algebra credit and a graduation date. You need a current TDLR apprentice electrician license (state fee $20) and must prove it when you apply, along with your original driver's license and Social Security card. Employers require scheduled and random drug testing.
Application Process
Applications are online: the JATC's How To Apply page links to its application, and no closing date is posted. After applying online, you have 30 calendar days to bring every required document in person to 108 Covern Street (Mondays 9-11 AM or Wednesdays 1-3 PM), or the application is voided. The application fee is $30, by money order only. Official transcripts must come in a sealed envelope from the school, or be sent electronically by the school or an authorized transcript service. Qualified applicants take the aptitude test, are interviewed and ranked, and are selected from the ranking list as positions open. The JATC says there are usually about ten applicants per opening.
What You Earn
Apprentices are paid a percentage of the journeyman wage, rising after each successfully completed year. Under the IBEW Local 716 inside agreement, new apprentices start at 45% of the journeyman rate: $18.34 an hour from August 31, 2026, when the journeyman rate became $40.75. The JATC's FAQ now quotes the same $18.34 starting rate. Health insurance begins about five months after full-time work starts, and apprentices join international and local pension plans. The JATC says it spends about $4,500 a year to train each apprentice and that most accepted apprentices qualify for scholarships covering the majority of costs; it does not publish an apprentice tuition figure. TDLR lists the JATC as electrical apprentice training program 115. Completion and journeyman licensing are separate steps.