Program Structure
Southwest Washington Electrical JATC offers a four-year Inside Wireman apprenticeship requiring 8,000 on-the-job hours. IBEW Local 76 and the Southwest Washington Chapter of NECA sponsor the program, which combines paid work with classroom and laboratory instruction. The training center is at 3001 S. 36th Street, Suite A, Tacoma.
Washington L&I lists the Inside Wireman program for Pacific, Lewis, Grays Harbor, Mason, Pierce and Thurston counties. This is the Local 76 program, not Portland's Local 48 apprenticeship. Low Voltage Technician and Residential Wireman are also separate training routes, not interchangeable names for this program.
The sponsor describes 240 classroom hours per year. Classes meet one day a week from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. during alternating three-month school and non-school blocks. Online homework requires internet access and a working computer, laptop or tablet. A separately verified total classroom-hour requirement is not quoted here.
Requirements
Applicants must be at least 18 and meet the specified education requirement: high school graduation, GED or equivalency, or a qualifying associate degree or higher. Inside Wireman applicants also need a valid driver's license and qualifying algebra coursework. The stated alternatives include high school algebra with a C average, passing post-high-school algebra, or the accepted Tech Math course with at least 75 percent.
Official transcripts in sealed envelopes are required. Complete applicants take the algebra and reading-comprehension aptitude test; those who do not pass wait six months to reapply. Qualified applicants proceed to year-round interviews and a ranking list, and the interview score stands for two years. Meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee selection.
Application Process
The application page describes requesting an application by mail with the request form and $50 fee, or collecting one at the JATC office. The site's Application Portal link now opens the JATC's TradeSchool sign-in page; the Application Process page still describes the mailed and in-office routes. A site notice says applications are not being accepted for the Low-Voltage Technician and Residential Wireman programs; it does not close Inside Wireman, and interviews are held year-round. Call the office at 253-475-2922 before travelling or sending payment.
After selection, a week of safety orientation precedes eligibility for job dispatch. Existing out-of-work apprentices receive placement first, so orientation completion is not a guarantee of immediate employment.
What You Earn
Apprentices are paid for workplace training. The Inside Wireman wage sheet effective August 31, 2026 to January 31, 2027 lists $27.34 per hour in period 1 (0–1,000 hours, 40%), rising with hours and craft certifications to $68.36 on completion of the program. Those are check amounts with no 401(k) deferral chosen. The FAQ lists approximately $1,800 for Inside Wireman books, tuition and lab fees but does not identify the billing period. Request an itemized current estimate; the $50 application fee is not the full training cost.
L&I lists this exact occupational track, and the sponsor describes itself as a registered apprenticeship with the State of Washington. Apprenticeship completion and individual electrician certification are separate requirements.