Become A Member

Why become a union electrical worker?

  • Union wages: Journeyman Wireman are paid well for their skills and knowledge
  • Union benefits: Employer paid health care and employer paid pension contributions
  • Union training: 8,000 hours of on the job training, 900 hours of classroom training and safe, supervised on the job training.
  • Union membership: Job security, strength in unity with 800,000 members nationwide and professional representations.

What do union electrical workers do?

There are four specialty areas of electrical workers.

  • Inside Wiremen are electrical workers who install the power, lighting, controls and other electrical equipment in commercial and industrial buildings.
  • Outside Linemen are the electrical workers who install the distribution and transmission lines that move power from power plant to a factory, business or home.
  • Electronic System Technicians install circuits and equipment for telephones, computer networks, video distribution systems, security and access control systems and other low voltage systems.
  • Residential Wiremen specialize in installing all of the electrical systems in single-family and multi-family houses or dwellings.

How can I become an apprentice?

Each of the four types of electrical work share common skills. But, there are specific skills necessary for each type of work so there is a different apprenticeship program for each. To be accepted into an IBEW/NECA Joint Apprenticeship Training Program (JATC) you must meet the following requirements:

  • Minimum age 18
  • High School Diploma or GED
  • 1 year of high school Algebra
  • Qualifying score on an Aptitude Test
  • Drug free

Each local JATC provides training for electrical workers in a specific geographical area. If you are interested in the apprenticeship program contact the Local 193 JATC at 217-544-3479 ext 229.

Once accepted to the program, you will attend both classroom instruction as well as become enrolled in an apprenticeship program where you will work one-on-one with some of the top union journeymen in the electrical industry.

You will be challenged on many levels. Becoming an electrician requires a great deal of knowledge and skill in the field as well as learning to conduct yourself in a professional manner on every job you encounter. Most importantly, you must become completely proficient in all of the safety issues that electricians confront on a daily basis. The NJATC will provide you with all the tools you need to accomplish this and become a success.

The NJATC is a nationally recognized program that produces highly qualified electricians who get the job done right the first time. Our electricians take great pride and dignity in their work and that is why so many companies across the country prefer to hire electricians with a NJATC degree.

Individuals who can verify (by providing undisputable documenting evidence) that they have worked a minimum of four-thousand (4000) hours specifically in the electrical construction trade, will qualify for an oral interview by the JATC to be considered along with other qualified applicants.