Program Structure
IBEW Local 269 JATC offers a five-year Inside Wireman apprenticeship that combines on-the-job and classroom training; the JATC notes that completion depends on both and that its timeframes are approximate. Inside wiremen install and maintain the electrical systems of commercial and industrial facilities, including lighting, receptacles, motors, heating equipment and energy controls, and install conduit systems. Local 269 also runs separate Telecommunications Technician and High Voltage Testing Technician apprenticeships, which this listing does not cover.
The JATC is at 676 Whitehead Road, Trenton, NJ 08648. Applicants must live within Local 269's jurisdiction, shown as a shaded area on the sponsor's territorial map; a New Jersey address alone does not establish eligibility. The program page does not give classroom-hour or work-hour totals or an attendance schedule, so confirm class timing and job travel with the JATC.
Requirements
Applicants must live within Local 269's jurisdictional area. They may be 17 when they apply but must be 18 by July 1 of that year. A valid driver's license is required. Applicants need a high school diploma or equivalent by the interview and a passing grade in high school algebra or its equivalent.
After applying, you have 30 days to provide all the documentation. Applicants who complete the process take a standardized aptitude test, and those with a passing score are interviewed, typically in the third week of June. Meeting the minimum requirements or getting an interview does not guarantee admission.
Application Process
Applications for the 2026 class are closed. The JATC accepts applications each year from January 1 through March 31; applications for the 2027 class will be open January 1 to March 31, 2027. The application is free and linked from the official apprenticeship page. For documentation or eligibility questions, call (609) 394-1337 or email [email protected].
Accepted apprentices are placed by the JATC with a participating electrical contractor for at least 40 hours of work a week. Placement follows acceptance; an application is not a job offer.
What You Earn
Apprentices receive yearly wage increases after successfully completing each school year's curriculum. The JATC does not publish a wage schedule. New Jersey's prevailing wage determination for public works in Mercer County, dated October 1, 2026, sets electrician apprentice rates of $19.15 an hour in the first year, rising each year to $47.87 in the fifth, and a journeyman rate of $63.82, effective January 6, 2026, with benefits paid on top. The state's list of unions by county names IBEW Local 269 for Mercer County. These are public works rates, so ask the JATC about pay on other jobs, benefits and participant costs. The free application does not mean tuition, books, tools or dues are free. The JATC states that all its programs are U.S. Department of Labor registered apprenticeships; this is the sponsor's statement, not a registry check. Completing the apprenticeship does not by itself confer a New Jersey electrical license.