Program Structure
Kansas City JATC's Inside Wireman apprenticeship is a five-year program combining paid work for signatory electrical contractors with classroom and lab study. Completion requires 8,000 on-the-job training hours and 900 hours of in-class study; the applicant packet calls the 900 hours a minimum. Apprentices perform installation and maintenance for commercial complexes and construction.
Training is based at 303 E. 103rd Terrace, Kansas City, Missouri. The packet expects full-time work, generally 40 hours a week, and a school year from August through June with a winter break. Homework is submitted online, so apprentices need internet access and a Windows-based computer. Confirm job-area boundaries and travel with the JATC; the sponsor does not publish them.
Requirements
The packet allows applications at 17, but applicants must be 18 at selection and indenture. The standard route requires a diploma, GED or HiSET with scores, or an associate degree or higher; transcripts showing a passing high school algebra credit, a post-high-school algebra course, or an online algebra or tech math course; a passing score on the electrical aptitude test; and, in the packet, a valid driver's license.
Instead, applicants can document at least 4,000 electrical construction work hours with W-2s or final pay stubs; the JATC currently allows direct entry with approved qualifications and asks you to inquire. Military applicants submit a DD-214. Selected apprentices take a drug screening and physical before going to work.
Application Process
Applications are online only, through TradeSchool, during the first seven days of each month. They resumed September 1, 2026, and are for the 2027 class; this year's classes are full. Outside the seven-day window the online application does not work. Pay the $25 nonrefundable fee (no personal checks) and submit documents within 30 days. The process can take up to six months, with the test and interview. Seats are limited, selection is competitive, and classes typically begin in August. Contact [email protected] or 816-942-3242 with questions.
What You Earn
Apprentices are paid by their contractor and receive raises with each completed school year and on-the-job milestone. Benefits start on the first day of the third month (alternative eligibility) or the month after 500 hours. The JATC's pay scale for the contract running September 1, 2026 to August 31, 2027 starts 1st-period apprentices at $25.65 an hour (45% of the $57.01 journeyman wireman rate), rising to $48.46 in the 6th period.
Apprentices pay no tuition but buy their books and tools. The 2024 packet estimated books at about $400 to $1,000 a year; confirm current prices. Missouri's list of USDOL registered apprenticeship sponsors includes IBEW LU 124 / NECA KC Electrical JATC for Electrician. Completing training does not automatically confer a local electrician license.