Program Structure
Western Pennsylvania Electrical JATC, IBEW Local 5, runs a five-year registered electrical apprenticeship. Training combines on-the-job work with classroom instruction. The homepage describes night classes a few times a week under an earn-while-you-learn model. The training center is at 5 Hot Metal Street, Suite 100, Pittsburgh, PA 15203. A satellite training facility in Clearfield also serves Local 5 apprentices. On-the-job hour totals and annual classroom hours are not published. Confirm the actual class nights, satellite assignment, and jobsite travel with the JATC.
Requirements
Applicants must be at least 18, except that high school seniors who are 17 or 18 may apply and take the entrance test before graduation; a qualifying score still cannot lead to an interview until age 18. A high school diploma or GED is required, plus credit for at least one secondary or post-secondary algebra course. Applicants must take tests given by or for the JATC. After an offer, a physical, substance test, and color-blindness test are required; those exams are administered by a doctor selected and paid by the JATC. The JATC also conducts a background check, paid by the JATC, with the applicant's consent.
Applicants must have lived for at least one year in one of these Pennsylvania counties: Allegheny, Armstrong, Bedford, Blair, Butler, Cambria, Cameron, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Elk, Fayette, Fulton, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, McKean, Somerset, Venango, Washington, or Westmoreland. A valid Pennsylvania driver's license is required for the entire apprenticeship.
Application Process
Applications for the 2026-2027 school year are closed. The JATC says updates for 2027-2028 will be posted on the website and asks people not to call the office about applications. Watch the official application-process page rather than assuming a phone update. There is a $25 nonrefundable processing fee when applications are being accepted. Submitting an application or taking a test does not guarantee selection, a class seat, or employment. The office phone, 412-432-1145, remains listed for other contacts.
What You Earn
JATC pages do not publish a dated apprentice wage schedule or a tuition total. The $25 processing fee is the only numbered participant cost on the application page. A 2025 Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry apprenticeship report lists "Electricians Local 5 JATC" among registered programs; a wage figure in that table is not this program's current apprentice starting rate. Confirm pay, benefits, books, and tools with the JATC or hiring contractor. Completing the apprenticeship is not a Pennsylvania electrician license.