Program Structure
The NECA-IBEW Electrical Training Center (NIETC) Inside Electrician apprenticeship is sponsored by the Oregon-Columbia Chapter NECA and IBEW Local 48. It is a five-year program built on 8,000 hours of on-the-job training with an electrical contractor plus ten school terms. Work covers residential, commercial and industrial wiring and low-voltage systems such as data, fire alarm and controls. There is no guarantee of 40 hours of work a week.
Classes are held at the training center, 16021 NE Airport Way in Portland, one day a week from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Apprentices attend two alternating terms of ten or eleven weeks each year. Class time is unpaid, although an IBEW Local 48 fund pays $299 after each completed term, up to $598 a year. The program covers specified counties in northwest Oregon and Clark, Cowlitz, Klickitat, Skamania and Wahkiakum counties in Washington, so job sites can be well outside Portland.
Requirements
You must be 18 when you enter the apprenticeship and have the legal right to work in the U.S. Education must be a high school diploma with a 2.0 GPA, a qualifying GED score, or an associate degree or higher. For math you need a C or better in a full year of high school algebra, or an equivalent college course, qualifying placement results, a qualifying GED math score, or the NJATC online math course. Transcripts in PDF form are required when you apply. You must also achieve a qualifying aptitude-test score. Employers require a substance-abuse test and background check after acceptance.
Application Process
All NIETC programs, including Inside, are closed to applications until further notice (notice updated August 28, 2026), and new reinterview requests are not being accepted. Openings are posted at least 30 days in advance on the Current Application Openings page. When open, you apply online, pay the $35 non-refundable fee (applicants below 150% of the federal poverty guideline can ask for a waiver), test the month after applying, interview, and are placed on a ranked list. Applicants are taken from the top of the list as industry needs require, then complete a Basic Skills class before being assigned to a contractor. The process usually takes two to three months.
What You Earn
Wages are a percentage of the Inside journeyman rate, which was $65.50 an hour effective January 1, 2026, plus benefits. Pay starts at 40% ($26.20) for the first 1,000 hours and reaches 85% ($55.68) in the final period; advancement requires meeting all requirements. The sponsor says its pay scales are for reference only. Health benefits start after about 90 days of full-time work. Accepted apprentices receive a scholarship covering classes, books and online curriculum access. Completing the program qualifies you to take the state journeyman exam; it is not a license.