Apprenticeship

Look into a non union shop and for a first year apprentice 13-15 is about the norm, here in mass you do not even need a high school diploma however you need alot of schooling 600 hours to be exact and 8000 hours in the trade to go for your ticket. Best of luck

I haven't applied at any nonunion shops, I have been considering attending Vatterott College, They offer an Electrician Occupation Degree that takes 18 months to complete however the cost is roughly $24000. I already make $12 an hour with students loans and a growing family I would need to make at least $15 also due to the TERRIBLE GAS PRICE!!

went to vatterott just last year. I would definitely advise against it, very poor teaching and strict attendance make it difficult.

J Phills, did you graduate from the program at Vatterott in KCMO and if so did you find work through them? I'm pretty iffy about going to the school because of the cost and I'm married with two children and things happen that you can't always make it to class or be there the whole 4 1/2 hours!!
I'm just very interested in being an electrician but afraid to get started becuase I don;t know where to go. A.B.May Company is the one that told me to go to Vatterott then get back with them once I completed.
I thank you for letting me know about Vatterott! I'm wondering what do you think that they could do better or have you heard of any college that would be better to attend?

Kenneth Harding in Kansas City, Missouri said: J Phills, did you graduate from the program at Vatterott in KCMO and if so did you find work through them? I'm pretty iffy about going to the school because of the cost and I'm married with two children and things happen that you can't always make it to class or be there the whole 4 1/2 hours!!
I'm just very interested in being an electrician but afraid to get started becuase I don;t know where to go. A.B.May Company is the one that told me to go to Vatterott then get back with them once I completed.
I thank you for letting me know about Vatterott! I'm wondering what do you think that they could do better or have you heard of any college that would be better to attend?

I graduated from Vatterott a year ago. From what I have heard the school has gone downhill. I already had a master electrician's license and took the coursed mainly for the PLC stuff. I would definitely advise against it. There are other oppurtunities. You may look into Johnson County Community College.

I went through the 2 yr program at Johnson County Community College but I don't work in the electrical field yet. Are there any companies who will hire someone new? If so how much $ can I expect?

It all depends on what part of the country your working in. I know in Houston, a green apprentice starts of around $12 an hour (approximatly half of Journeyman rate)in a Union Shop. Im not sure about non-union shops. Your best bet would be to get in touch with your local IBEW/JATC and see if they will work with you. When working for an electrical contractor, your pay usually goes by your field experience. As a Journeyman Electrician myself, you learn just as much in the field, as you learn in the classroom. Most programs require a certain amount of field time and classroom time before you can get your J-License.

well i jus enrolled 4 the electrical program 4, 9 month and iam debating wheather going with the union or with out ,..i was wondering anybody got sum good advive on how 2 decide ?????????

do any of you guys no if they drug test to get into the apprentence shop. also for the year of highschool math if i got my ged does that count?

Kenneth Harding in Kansas City, Missouri said: I haven't applied at any nonunion shops, I have been considering attending Vatterott College, They offer an Electrician Occupation Degree that takes 18 months to complete however the cost is roughly $24000. I already make $12 an hour with students loans and a growing family I would need to make at least $15 also due to the TERRIBLE GAS PRICE!!

vatterott college will rob you blind! Beware!! they are not accepted by the us department of labor. buy that expensive degree from them and you will regret it for sure.

matt in Independence, Missouri said: vatterott college will rob you blind! Beware!! they are not accepted by the us department of labor. buy that expensive degree from them and you will regret it for sure.

Yeah I did the Math on their "tuition" and checked into them. They are such a joke! I never signed up. the Area Community Colleges have Electrician Programs, but there are over 500 laid-off union electricians and who knows how many non-union electricians laid-off. therefore, there really isn;t any reason to spend the money and time to learn a trade that I can't get a job in!

I love doing electrical work, but wheres the jobs?

den in Kenosha, Wisconsin said: do any of you guys no if they drug test to get into the apprentence shop. also for the year of highschool math if i got my ged does that count?

i just got acceptted to ibew apprenticeship and they didn't drug test me for the union, but when they found me a job with a contractor I was drug tested by the contractor. As far as the ged I dont know I would call and ask they should be able to tell you if you qualify or not. Good luck and keep trying.

One place that I would like to get an internship is at Expert Houston Electricians. I have heard nothing but great things about that company, and it seems like the perfect place to learn the electrician business. Check them out at www.experthoustonelectrician.com/

Hello i live in Camdenton, MO and i cannot find a nearby Electricians Apprenticeship Program. i have tried the NJATC but they are either full or not getting work for the apprentices. Now i have searched up JCCC but i am not quite sure if i should go with their program as they are in Kansas City and do not have room and board. Or rather they do not have dorms. i have personally called atleast 8 different colleges and apprenticeship programs and i just do not seem to have luck as they are making different excuses for why they will not take an apprentice right now. i am thinking of going to the local SFCC and taking some Electrical courses with them before i go on to a bigger program. right now the economy is off and jobs are hard to find however i am wondering if i should wait it out for just a lil while and go ahead and take the electrical courses at the SFCC. would this be the correct thing to do in my situation? if you can help then thank you.

I was originally enrolled in Vatterott in Berkeley,MO, however I heard to much negative things that particular school. I am currently attending American Trade School St Anne,MO It's a 14 month program and I will be certified in Residential and Commercial. They teach you all the math you need to know. To get into the IBEW appremticeship program in Illinois you have to have 1 year of Algebra High School level.

i live in michigan and went to kaplan career institute and graduated in november of this year. when i enrolled there i was told that i could use the 950 hours toward my hrs needed for my apprenticeship but when i got hired as an apprentice making 9 an hour(13 sounds good ) i was told i couldnt use them because i had to log them while im an apprentice. I got 14000 in student loans and i have to go back and do it again. Plus the classes i got to take now cost 250 a pop and i have to take 5 a year. if anybody knows if i can get around retaking the classes i would apreciate it.

Just enrolled in a similliar school like kaplan (my school, Pennco Tech ) a 6 moth program . they said that the class hours do go towards your apprenticeship . But it depends on the state or county you want to work in . If anyone has more info on weither the schooling goes towards your hours of apprenticeship please post

Vatterott College is a scam and fraud. There credits do not transfer and employers are very leary about hiring victims of that school. The instructors are inexperienced who graduated from the school to teach at the school. The director of the electrical program is an example who has NO FIELD EXPERIENCE. The NCCER program is a joke and not in any use in any way shape or form. They are NOT recognized by the department of labor, it is NOT an apprenticeship, ACTUAL apprenticeship programs DO NOT recognize them, and you would be wasting your time and money. They find what is in demand, make a program, over price is by leaps and bounds, and sell it to the public. They are now trying to make a wind turbine program and over price it by tens of thousands. Yes they are expensive and it does not mean it is better. Go to a Community College.

Going to a "career college" is financial suicide. If "career college" is one of your options, your best option is becoming a dish washer. Electrical programs are overflowing, and electricians can't find a job. The only reason they have these programs open is to take up cheap "apprentice" labor. You'll have the Journeyman electrician tell you what to do, and if you're lucky you'll get some work. But the amount of work you'll be doing, is like earning $8 an hour a week if you're LUCKY. Employers don't really want to pay apprentices big money, I mean $20 for apprentice? give me a break, no employer will tolerate that. Career colleges are a scam, once again, if you go into them, you will regret it for the rest of your life. Not only do they NOT provide you with ANYTHING of ANY educational value, but they also completely and totally bankrupt you. Career Colleges is a scam. Hard times hit America.

Check out Pittsburg State University's electrical technology degree in Pittsburg, Kansas. im currently in the last of the four semesters the program has to offer. I went in knowing basically nothing about being an electrican, first semester they teach you basic fundamentals of electricity, second semester is all about electric motors and how to troubleshoot and repair them, third semester is a very in-depth look at PLC's and automation (my favorite) and fourth semester is all about commerical/ industrial electrical work. You recieve lots of hands on training, atleast 3 hours a day of lab work, working with all sorts of things from motors to PLC's to learning to bend conduit. Ive really enjoyed the program alot and have learned TONS of things, durring the summer between 2nd and 3rd semester you have to do an electrical internship which they help you find one. you have to complete 400 hours of on the job work. after the fourth semester they help place you in a job of your liking, i believe they have a 90% success rate. definately worth checking out if your interested in the electrical trade.

i forgot to mention they help you train for the journeyman test, and they help you study the NEC learning all the codes.

Do you get paid during the 400 hour electrical internship? I'm signed up to start the program in August

Yes, but it depends on who you intern with, some places won't pay for an internship but most will.