Program Structure
The Wichita Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (WEJATC), a joint venture of IBEW Local 271 and the Kansas Chapter of NECA, runs a four-year Inside Wireman apprenticeship. It combines 8,000 hours of paid on-the-job training on commercial and industrial job sites with 900 hours of related study, following the national NJATC curriculum. Training covers power distribution, lighting, motor controls and PLCs, building automation, energy management, backup generation and the National Electrical Code. Kansas's training-provider listing describes class two days a month, with contractor work the rest of the month at various locations. The training center is at 810 W 13th St N, Wichita. The Kansas apprenticeship office places the program in its South-Central region; confirm job travel expectations with the JATC.
Requirements
You may apply at 17 but must be 18 at selection and indenture. You need a high school diploma, GED, or two-year associate degree or higher, and a passing grade in a full year of high school Algebra I or a post-high-school algebra course; the JATC offers an online math course. Provide official transcripts, a valid driver's license and a birth certificate, plus a DD-214 if you want military credit. You must score 4 or higher on the electrical aptitude test and be physically able to do the work. Documented experience can waive the education and algebra requirements: 4,000 hours in electrical construction, 4,500 hours as an IBEW/NECA residential wireman, or three years of related instruction and 4,500 hours in another registered electrical apprenticeship. Selected applicants must supply negative drug and alcohol test results.
Application Process
Applications are accepted Monday through Friday, excluding holidays, online or at the Wichita Workforce Center, IBEW Local 271 or the WEJATC. A $25 non-refundable application fee is due at application, paid online only. All required documents must arrive within 45 days. The JATC Committee interviews every applicant who meets the requirements, with notices sent by email, and selects apprentices in order of interview ranking. Applicants not selected stay on a ranked list for one year. Call 316-264-9231 with questions.
What You Earn
Apprentices earn wages and benefits on the advancement scale while working; benefits include Blue Cross health insurance, paid vacations and two pension plans. The JATC does not publish a dated wage table. Kansas's training-provider listing, last updated in September 2025, estimates books at $550 a year, testing fees of $125, a $25 registration fee and $350 for hand tools, a $1,050 total in its cost summary. The Kansas Office of Registered Apprenticeship lists WEJATC as program 2019-KS-74322, and the sponsor calls itself a Kansas Registered Apprentice Program. Completion and Kansas electrician licensing are separate.