Program Structure
The Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Trust (EJATT), sponsored by IBEW Local 134 and the Electrical Contractors' Association of the City of Chicago, runs a five-year Electrical Construction apprenticeship in Cook County. Classes are delivered through the IBEW-NECA Technical Institute (IN-Tech), which also offers a separate four-year Communications apprenticeship. The first year starts with eleven weeks of full-time, unpaid classes, Monday to Friday 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at West Side Technical Institute, 2800 S. Western Ave., Chicago, followed by about nine months of paid contractor work. Years two and three repeat nine weeks of full-time classes, with a weekly stipend, at 6201 W. 115th Street in Alsip, then nine months on the job. Years four and five have six evening seminars each. Completing the classes earns 53.5 credit hours from Richard J. Daley College toward an A.A.S. in Electrical Construction Technology.
Requirements
You must be at least 17 at registration and bring a valid driver's license and your original Social Security card, plus copies of employment-eligibility documents, proof of high school graduation or a GED, and a transcript showing a full year of high school algebra, or a post-high-school algebra or higher course, with a C or better. College transcripts do not prove high school graduation, and the GED math certificate does not satisfy algebra; the online Tech Math course can. High school seniors in their final semester may register, with acceptance contingent on graduating. Selected applicants must pass a physical, drug screen and background check. The FAQ lets non-citizens register with an Employment Authorization Card; the registration sheet lists only citizenship or permanent-resident documents.
Application Process
Registration is open every Wednesday, 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., in person at the IBEW-NECA Technical Institute in Alsip, with a $50 money order payable to EJATT. The current registration cycle runs through February 2027; applicants who finish all requirements by then are eligible for the March 2027 aptitude test, which selects the July and October 2027 classes. Registration takes two visits: you receive a Personal Experience Form on the first and return it on a later Wednesday, when you get a study guide and test date. Selection uses the test and the form; those selected are emailed within eight weeks. No contractor sponsor is needed. Call 708-389-1340 with questions.
What You Earn
EJATT's June 2026 information sheet shows first-year pay at 40% of the journeyman wireman rate ($25.26), rising in six-month steps to 90% ($56.84) in year five, with a current journeyman rate of $63.15; it gives no effective date and says wages may change. Medical coverage for you and dependents starts after 600 hours, along with several pension plans and an annuity. An industry scholarship loan covers education and is repaid by working for signatory contractors; you pay the $50 application fee, a $500 processing fee if selected, and a one-time administrative fee. EJATT says the program is registered with the U.S. Department of Labor. Completion is separate from Chicago and Illinois licensing.