Program Structure
North Texas Electrical JATC, sponsored by IBEW and NECA, runs a four-year Inside Wireman apprenticeship: 8,000 hours of on-the-job training and 180 classroom hours a year, plus an eight-week math refresher. Work is mostly commercial and industrial. Classes are at the training center at 680 W. Tarrant Rd, Grand Prairie; jobs can be in any of the 22 North Texas counties in the jurisdiction.
Day classes meet one day every two weeks, 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM, unless scheduled otherwise; the math refresher runs 5:00 to 8:00 PM. Semesters then start in January and July. The registered standards describe this related instruction as non-compensable, so class days are unpaid. Apprentices work the jobsite schedule, including scheduled overtime, and need a computer.
Requirements
Applicants must be 18 with a high school diploma, GED or associate degree or higher, plus one year of high school algebra with passing grades (GED algebra does not count) or the Electrical Training Alliance Tech Math course. The registered standards also accept a semester of post-high-school algebra.
To be interviewed you need a driver license without restriction B, a Texas Electrical Apprentice License and an aptitude score of 5 or higher, and you must be physically capable of electrical construction work. Accepted applicants take a drug screen and may need a physical that includes color blindness. Provide a birth certificate, Social Security card and official transcripts; emailed or unofficial transcripts are not accepted.
Application Process
Follow the application instructions: create an Inside account in the portal, start the Inside application and upload documents. Staff review it, and you have thirty days to supply anything requested. Qualified applicants then take the aptitude test and interview.
The applicant page and instructions specify a $20 application fee, but the FAQ says there is none; confirm with the office at 972-266-8383. The fee is credited only to accepted apprentices who complete the math refresher and register for the first semester.
The JATC interviews and accepts applicants year-round, which does not mean a job is open. It coordinates placement with employers; you must be available within two weeks of acceptance, and work starts when there is an opening.
What You Earn
Apprentices start at $20.33 an hour, 50% of the $40.65 journeyman rate IBEW Local 20 announced for March 1, 2026, reaching it after 8,000 hours plus a license. The JATC's table labels these rates current as of January 1, 2026; the registered standards print an earlier $38.95 base. The FAQ lists employer-paid health insurance, a pension and an annuity starting in the second year.
Tuition is about $316 a semester (out-of-state is higher) and book and course fees average $1,500 a year. The applicant page estimates about $7,200 over four years and the FAQ about $7,500. Apprentices supply basic tools. Makeup classes cost $50 and late fees are $20 per business day. No financial aid is offered, but the program is approved for VA education benefits.