IBEW Local 1 St. Louis · Est. 1891 · Birthplace of the IBEW

Apprenticeship & Training

Get paid to become
an electrician.

The St. Louis Electrical JATC, run jointly by IBEW Local 1 and the St. Louis Chapter of NECA, is a registered apprenticeship: full-time work at union wages during the day, world-class instruction at the training center. You graduate as a licensed professional with five years of experience and zero tuition debt.

Apply at the JATC See the Programs
Day 1You're on payroll
$0Tuition debt at graduation
9,000On-the-job hours, inside program
1941Industry's first apprenticeship, founded here

Programs

Three paths into the trade

Commercial-Industrial Electrician

The flagship inside program

Five years: 9,000 hours on the job and 960 hours in the classroom. Power distribution, lighting, controls, fire alarm, and motors cover the full scope of commercial and industrial work, and the coursework earns college credit toward a degree.

Telecommunication Technician

Data, security & low voltage

8,000 hours on the job and 600 in the classroom. Structured cabling, fiber optics, security systems, audio/video, and wireless: the networks every modern building runs on.

Residential Electrician

Housing & light commercial

8,000 hours on the job and 450 in the classroom, covering residential wiring, service work, and light commercial. A focused route to journey-level work in the housing market.

Earn While You Learn

The math beats college

A four-year degree averages tens of thousands of dollars in debt and no guarantee of a job. A Local 1 apprenticeship pays you a percentage of journeyman scale from your first day, with raises as you advance through the program, plus health coverage and retirement contributions the whole way.

By the time your friends graduate college, you'll have five years of income, zero debt, a license, and a pension already building.

Start Your Application
Apprentices in a classroom at the Electrical Industry Training Center

How to Apply

From application to first paycheck

  1. Meet the basics

    At least 17 to apply (18 by selection), a high school diploma or GED with official transcripts, one year of algebra (the inside program also asks for a year of geometry or the Electrical Training Alliance online math course), residence within Local 1's jurisdiction, and authorization to work in the U.S.

  2. Apply at the JATC

    Submit your application through the St. Louis Electrical JATC application portal. No electrical experience is required. The program is built to take you from zero.

  3. Test and interview

    Qualified applicants take an aptitude test (reading and algebra) and sit for an interview with the committee. Show up prepared and on time. The trade starts here.

  4. Get placed and get paid

    Accepted apprentices complete a physical and drug screen, are placed with a signatory contractor, and start earning union wages and benefits immediately, with guaranteed raises as you advance. School and work run in parallel until you top out.

Already a Journeyman?

Training never stops

Local 1 members get continuing education for life: code update classes, OSHA and safety certifications, instrumentation, welding, solar and EV infrastructure, and foreman development, all at no cost to the member.

That's why contractors staff their hardest jobs from this hall.

Training Center

Where you'll learn