Program Structure
The Joint Industry Board of the Electrical Industry administers Local 3's New York City electrical apprenticeship. Apprentices combine daytime paid work with electrical theory, practical training and college coursework leading toward a required associate degree. This is the construction electrician route, not the separate Local 3 lighting-maintenance program or the Westchester training route.
The sponsor labels the program five and one-half years, but also describes four initial years followed by a final work period lasting 18 months to two years.
Electrical theory meets one night weekly for four hours at 107 West 33rd Street in Manhattan. College study adds a separate weekly commitment. Hands-on training takes place at the Electrical Industry Training Center in Long Island City, with intensive Monday–Friday sessions described every six months. These obligations are additional to regular job-site work.
Requirements
For the 2026 selection, applicants must be 18 by December 31, 2026, have one year of high school algebra or the equivalent, and supply official transcripts from all high schools and colleges attended. They need two years of residence within 60 miles of Columbus Circle immediately before receiving an application, a qualifying score of 3 or above on the NJATC / AIR aptitude test (the Electrical Training ALLIANCE test), and the physical ability to do the work as determined by the committee's physician.
Accepted apprentices must be prepared for assigned work throughout the five boroughs; the sponsor says job locations are nonnegotiable.
Application Process
The 2026 request period has ended. The Joint Apprentice Committee's notice accepted requests for an application only by registered mail (not certified mail), postmarked October 19 to October 30, 2026, and only the first 2,000 qualifying letters, plus every letter postmarked October 19, receive an application by mail in January. The notice says 5,358 letters arrived on the first day in 2019. About 300 apprentices are expected to be accepted, and none will start work before the fall of 2027. The Joint Industry Board has not posted a next request period; check its apprentice program page for a new notice.
The application carries a $25 nonrefundable fee, waived with proof of public assistance. Qualifying applications lead to aptitude testing and interviews, and apprentices are selected by ranking. Questions can go to the Apprentice Department at 718-591-2000, extension 1480.
What You Earn
The sponsor says its Apprentice Training program pays for electrical theory and college classes. Apprentices receive automatic wage increases after satisfactory work reports, grades and attendance. The Joint Industry Board's 2026 NYC chart lists $19.25 to $26.25 an hour for "A" apprentice levels 1 to 4 and $64.00 for "A" journeypersons, from April 15, 2026. A complete participant-expense estimate is not confirmed here.
New York State DOL lists JAC IBEW Electrical Local 3 as Active for the Electrician trade at the matching Flushing address. Registration of the program does not automatically grant an individual electrician license or guarantee an applicant employment.