Program Structure
Milwaukee Electrical Training Institute (METI) is a partnership between IBEW Local 494 and the NECA Milwaukee Chapter. Its Inside Construction apprenticeship is a competitive five-year program that blends classroom learning with paid on-the-job training on commercial and industrial job sites. METI also runs a self-paced, field-based Construction Wireman / Construction Electrician (CW/CE) route, a Residential Construction (RCW) program and Sound & Communication technician training; those use a separate application handled by IBEW Local 494 and are not covered by this listing.
Training and work follow a full-time schedule. Classes are held at METI's two Milwaukee-area training centers: the Greenfield Training Center, 6300 W. Layton Avenue, Greenfield (METI offices), and the Wauwatosa Training Center, 11001 W. Plank Ct., Suite 120, Wauwatosa. On-the-job hour totals and annual classroom hours are not published; confirm which site you would attend.
Requirements
METI says anyone 18 or older with a high school diploma or GED can apply, and that you must be authorized to work in the U.S. and have reliable transportation. No electrical experience is needed, but basic math, especially algebra and measurement, matters. Wisconsin DWD's committee listing also requires a valid driver's license and the physical ability to perform the trade, and lists an NJATC aptitude test composite score of 5 or higher; METI's own application steps instead name GAN as its third-party tester. Some programs require basic hand tools; METI provides the list.
Application Process
For the Inside Construction apprenticeship, METI handles all applications and questions; do not apply through the Local 494 office used for CW/CE, RCW and Sound & Communication. Review METI's apprenticeship application steps, then complete the application and aptitude testing. Selection is competitive and DWD lists a rank list. Accepted applicants are placed with a signatory contractor and begin paid on-the-job training while attending required classes. METI aims to reply to applicants within three weeks.
METI's pages do not say whether applications are currently open. DWD's listing says applications are accepted during normal business hours, Monday to Friday 8am to 4:30pm. Confirm the current intake with METI at (414) 543-9060 or [email protected]. Applying does not guarantee placement or a start date.
What You Earn
Apprentices are paid from day one, with wages and benefits on the job; METI describes health and retirement benefits but publishes no wage table. It says apprenticeship students pay no tuition for their first three semesters and manageable costs later, and that some programs have minimal fees for books, tools or materials. No amounts are published, so ask for current pay and costs.
Wisconsin DWD lists Milwaukee Area Electrical JAC for the Construction Electrician trade, with METI's phone number and the mejatc.com address that now leads to METI's site; its active-apprentice report refreshed October 5, 2026 shows 316 active Construction Electrician apprentices under that committee. Completing the apprenticeship is not itself a Wisconsin electrician license.