Professionals understand that excellence is a function of knowledge, experience and work ethic. Excellence creates value because a job done right the first time prevents costly downtime for rework and damaged reputations. Shoddy electrical work even threatens people’s lives.

The organized electrical construction industry is training more than 42,000 apprentices a year for jobs in the industrial, commercial, residential, and telecommunications sectors. More than 50,000 journeymen annually take courses to advance their skills, making sure they are prepared to install and maintain the latest equipment and products. (Read a recent study's findings about the advantages of union-sponsored apprenticeship programs.)

This training is offered at more than 300 locations throughout the United States by the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NJATC). It is sponsored by the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). In addition, NECA managers and instructors receive specialized training at the National Training Institute sponsored by the NJATC at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Check out the NJATC's College Credit and Degree Programs

How Do Electrical Workers Learn, Maintain, and Upgrade Their Skills?

Program	NECA-IBEW	Others
Structured, performance-based classroom and on-the job training	A 3- to 5-year program, depending on specialty, is the benchmark for all NECA-IBEW electrical workers	Most never participate in a formal industry-based program.
Telecommunications training for certification	480 hours in class and 4,800 hours on the job	Some workers receive as little as 40 hours of training
Skills upgrading for journeymen	Over 50,000 return to NJATC-sponsored classes annually	Reliable information not available.
Training for managers	NJATC National Training Institute NECA Management Education Institute NECA Web-based learning	Reliable information not available.
Safety training	Mandatory for apprentices OSHA Training: tens of thousands so far	Reliable information not available.
Commitment to training	Over $90 million invested annually for electrical workers alone	Reliable information not available.

Last changed on 12/31/2003