Electrical apprenticeships in the U.S. are run by different kinds of sponsors. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that "several groups, including unions and contractor associations, sponsor apprenticeship programs." This guide compares the two groups people most often ask about: union programs run jointly by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), and open-shop programs run by contractor associations such as Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) and Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), or by a single employer.
Both routes combine paid work with classroom training. They differ in how you get in, who employs you, when class happens and who pays for it. Everything below comes from the programs' and associations' own pages and from federal rules, as published when we checked in October 2026. Each local program sets its own rules, so treat the examples as examples and confirm the details with the program you apply to.
IEC and ABC describe themselves as "merit shop" organizations. This guide uses "open shop" for programs that have no union party.
The two routes at a glance
| Union (IBEW/NECA JATC) | Open shop (IEC, ABC or an employer) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | A joint committee with both IBEW and NECA representatives | A contractor association chapter or a single employer |
| How you get in | Apply to the local committee: basic requirements, an aptitude test if required, an interview, then a ranked list | Be hired by a participating contractor, which enrolls you; some chapters help you find one |
| Who you work for | A contractor the committee places you with | The contractor that hired you |
| When class happens | Varies: one night a week, or one day every week or two | Usually evenings, one or two nights a week |
| Who pays for class | Varies by program | Varies by program and employer |
| How pay is set | A percentage of the journeyman rate, rising as you progress (Houston, Louisville) | Paid by the employer that hired you, rising as you progress; IEC says starting pay is typically 50% of a journeyman's rate |
The sections below give the sources and the variations.
Four terms that get mixed up
Apprentice. Federal apprenticeship rules define an apprentice as a worker at least 16 years old (unless a law sets a higher minimum) "who is employed to learn an apprenticeable occupation" under registered apprenticeship standards (29 CFR 29.2). Being an apprentice in this sense means you are employed and enrolled in a program. Some states also license or register apprentices. In Texas, for example, IEC Dallas lists a current Texas apprentice electrician license among its requirements, and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) lists Apprentice Electrician as a license type.
Helper. BLS describes construction helpers as workers who "assist construction tradesworkers with a variety of tasks," such as carrying tools and materials or setting up equipment, and it counts electricians' helpers as their own occupation. It notes that apprentices "may have tasks that are similar to those of helpers," and that some electricians enter apprenticeship programs after working as a helper. A helper job is not an apprenticeship enrollment. BLS also notes that some electrical contractors run their own training programs that "are not recognized apprenticeship programs."
Journeyman. The federal rules use "journeyworker" for a worker recognized in the industry as having mastered the skills of the occupation. BLS says that after completing an apprenticeship, electricians "are considered to be journey workers and may perform duties on their own, subject to local or state licensing requirements." In some states journeyman is also a license level: TDLR lists Journeyman Electrician as a Texas license. Union programs such as Houston's and Louisville's set apprentice pay as a percentage of what a journeyman earns, so the word also names a wage scale.
Contractor. A contractor is the electrical business that takes on work and employs electricians and apprentices. In Texas, TDLR says anyone who performs non-exempt electrical work "must be licensed and perform that work through a licensed electrical contractor," and Electrical Contractor is a separate license type. In the union and association routes, your employer is a contractor: union programs place apprentices with their "sponsoring contractors," and IEC and ABC chapters work with member or "participating" contractors.
Who runs each kind of program
Federal rules let a program be run by an apprenticeship committee, which can be joint or non-joint. A joint committee has an equal number of employer representatives and representatives of employees covered by a collective bargaining agent (a union). A non-joint committee has employer representatives but no collective bargaining agent (29 CFR 29.2). The rules define a program's sponsor as "any person, association, committee, or organization operating an apprenticeship program," so a single employer can sponsor its own program.
- Union programs. The electrical training ALLIANCE, the IBEW and NECA's training organization, describes IBEW/NECA Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committees (JATCs) and says you apply to your local JATC. New Mexico's JATC, for example, says NECA and IBEW Local 611 "jointly sponsor" its training programs.
- IEC programs. IEC says requirements "vary by each chapter training program," and that apprentices get on-the-job training "with an IEC contractor."
- ABC programs. ABC says it provides "formal apprenticeship training programs that are registered with the U.S. Department of Labor" through its chapters, and that its chapters can help a company set up its own in-house registered program.
An employer can register its own program, and some contractors run training that isn't a recognized apprenticeship. Ask any program, union or not, whether it is registered and with which agency.
How you get in
Union: apply to the committee
The electrical training ALLIANCE lists these as typical requirements for an IBEW/NECA JATC: minimum age 18, a high school education, one year of high school algebra, a qualifying score on an aptitude test, and being drug free. Each local JATC may add its own. electrical training ALLIANCE: apprenticeship training
The ALLIANCE describes the usual steps (applying for apprenticeship):
- You fill out an application, and the JATC checks it against its basic requirements.
- If you meet them, you are scheduled for the aptitude test, if the program requires one.
- With a qualifying score, you have an oral interview with a committee representing both NECA and the IBEW.
- You receive an overall ranking and go on an eligibility list for two years. Apprentices are taken from the list in ranking order as positions open.
Programs vary these steps. Louisville's JATC describes a ten-to-fifteen-minute interview before a panel from IBEW Local 369, its training center and NECA, and keeps applicants on its ranked list for one calendar year. In New York City, IBEW Local 3's program says "employers and union representatives interview all qualified candidates." For what the aptitude test covers, and which programs use which test, see our guide to the IBEW/NECA apprenticeship aptitude test.
Once you are selected, the committee finds your employer. Houston's and Louisville's JATCs both say the JATC "will place you with one of our sponsoring contractors when jobs become available." Houston explains that contractors tell the JATC when they need apprentices, and the JATC places them. The Local 26 JATC, whose standards cover Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, says its committee "makes all placements with contractors" and moves each apprentice to a new contractor every year.
Open shop: get hired by a participating contractor
In the open-shop programs we checked, the job comes first or comes with enrollment. ABC's Minnesota North Dakota chapter puts it this way: "a participating contractor hires you and enrolls you in the program." ABC Hawaii says employers take part as "sponsors" by employing the apprentice full time in the trade, and lists its entry requirements as age 18 or older, a high school diploma or GED, and, for electrical candidates, proof of high school algebra.
Some chapters help people who don't have a job yet:
- IEC Rocky Mountain (Colorado and Wyoming) says that if you already work for an electrical contractor, the contractor may register you before school starts. If you don't, you can register for school on your own, and the chapter can help you find work with one of its contractor members through its jobs board, career fairs and a "Hire List" shared with hiring contractors. Joining the Hire List doesn't register you for classes. The chapter also requires a score of at least 70% on its Math Assessment, which covers pre-algebra.
- IEC National asks you to fill out an interest form, after which a representative of your local IEC chapter or of IEC National contacts you. It says requirements vary by chapter, and that applicants generally must be at least 18, have a high school diploma or GED, and have reliable transportation to school and the job site.
Local licensing rules can apply before you start. IEC Dallas lists a current Texas apprentice electrician license among its requirements.
When classroom training happens
Federal rules require registered programs to provide related instruction and recommend at least 144 hours for each year of the apprenticeship. It can be given in a classroom, through electronic media or by other approved means (29 CFR 29.5). Programs schedule it very differently:
| Program | Route | When class happens |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Electrical JATC | Union | One night a week, 4 hours, generally September to June |
| Louisville Electrical JATC | Union | One 8-hour day every other week, August to June |
| Puget Sound Electrical JATC (Inside Wire) | Union | Alternating quarters; in school quarters, one 8-hour day a week |
| Local 26 JATC (Washington, D.C. area) | Union | One day every two weeks, year round, in the first four years; one night a week, September to May, in the last year |
| IBEW Local 3 (New York City) | Union | 4 hours a week of related instruction plus 3 hours a week of college courses, in the evening |
| IEC Dallas | Open shop | One night a week, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., September to May (two nights a week for January starters) |
| IEC Rocky Mountain | Open shop | Once a week, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., August to May |
| ABC Hawaii | Open shop | Two nights a week, 2.5 hours a night |
IEC National describes its model as on-the-job training "during the day" and classroom and hands-on instruction "in the evening," and says its apprenticeship typically takes about four years, with at least 8,000 hours of on-the-job training and 576 hours of classroom instruction. ABC's Minnesota North Dakota chapter gives three to five years.
Where class is held during the workday, ask whether those hours are paid. The Local 26 JATC says that on school days apprentices "receive attendance checks after successfully completing the day's coursework."
Who pays for classroom training
Neither route has one answer. These are examples of what programs published:
Union programs
- Louisville: "Currently, there is no tuition, and books are covered as long as certain requirements are met." Apprentices pay for their own school supplies, computer, work clothes, boots and tools.
- Houston: says most people accepted "will qualify for various industry and governmental scholarships which will cover the majority of the costs."
- Puget Sound (Inside Wire): "The cost of books and tuition for the year is paid by the apprentice," in two quarterly payments.
- IBEW Local 3 (New York City): says its electrical theory and college classes are "paid for by our Apprentice Training program."
Open-shop programs
- IEC National: "The cost of your classroom education is often shared by your employer or covered by state funding." It adds that an apprentice "may receive tuition assistance from his or her contractor (employer)" and that books "are often covered by the student."
- IEC Rocky Mountain: tuition ranges from $600 to $1,000 per semester and books from $450 to $650 per year. It says many contractors offer tuition and book assistance "up to 100% reimbursement," and that working full time while enrolled usually means no cost to the apprentice at registration.
- IEC Dallas: tuition "is deducted from the apprentice's pay each week from their employer and sent to IEC," at a rate it gives as ".53 cents an hour for each hour worked." Contractors are billed for books and materials and decide whether to pass that cost to the apprentice.
Before you accept a place, get in writing who pays tuition and books, when, and what happens to those costs if you leave the program.
How wages progress
Every registered program must have "a progressively increasing schedule of wages," and the entry wage can't be below the federal minimum wage where that law applies, unless another law or a collective bargaining agreement requires more (29 CFR 29.5). BLS sums it up: apprentices "receive less pay than fully trained electricians, but their pay increases as they learn to do more."
- Union programs such as Houston's and Louisville's pay a percentage of the journeyman wage. Houston's and Louisville's JATCs both say "the percentage is determined by the apprentice's progress in training," with a raise after each completed year (Louisville lists six raises over the program). At completion, the graduate moves to the journeyman level and is "paid the full wage scale." New Mexico's JATC says apprentices are "paid directly by contractor with which you are employed" and receive "guaranteed promotion and pay raises."
- Open-shop programs pay you through the employer that hired you. IEC Rocky Mountain says apprentices "earn wages from their employer." IEC National says starting wages "are typically 50% of a journeyman's rate, with increases as experience and skills grow." IEC Rocky Mountain says entry wages "are based on experience and typically start at the local area minimum wage," with periodic raises "based on performance." IEC Dallas says apprentices receive "regular wage increases while enrolled in program."
Starting rates differ by area and change over time. Ask each program for its current wage schedule.
When you finish
Programs award a certificate when you finish. ABC says its graduates "are recognized at the journey level in their trade and are awarded their apprenticeship certificate." IEC Dallas says graduates receive a Department of Labor certificate of completion. Louisville's JATC describes its program as preparing you for a career "as an IBEW Journeyman Electrician."
A completion certificate isn't a state license. BLS notes that "most states require electricians to be licensed," and IEC National says that becoming a licensed electrician means passing a licensing exam whose details vary by state. Check your state's rules on our electrician licensing pages.
Questions to ask any program
- Is the program registered, with which agency, and for which occupation?
- Do I apply to a committee, or do I need a job with a participating contractor first?
- How are applicants ranked, and how long does a ranking or list last?
- When and where is class, and are class hours paid?
- Who pays tuition and books, and do I owe anything if I leave?
- What is the wage schedule from the first period to completion?
- Will I stay with one employer, or will the program move me?
- Do my hours and classes count toward my state's license requirements?
Find programs near you
Browse electrical apprenticeships by state, or go straight to a state page such as Colorado, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland, New Mexico, New York, Texas and Washington.
If you're still deciding between an apprenticeship and school, see apprenticeship vs trade school. For the whole path into the trade, see how to become an electrician.