Questions

Very little. The apprentice will pay approximately $600- $800 for books each year, plus you will be required to have a laptop. There is no yearly tuition. The Quad City Electrical JATC is a non-profit organization. The cost of training our students is paid for by our sponsoring contractors through an agreement between labor and management. If you are selected into our program, you can consider yourself as having received a scholarship.

The classes are held at the Quad City Electrical Training Center located at 1700 52nd Avenue, Moline, IL 61265.

The electrical program covers the spectrum of residential, commercial, and industrial electrical installations.

The curriculum includes areas such as Electrical Theory, Print Reading, Grounding, Controls, Communication Equipment, Testing Equipment, Pipe bending, and The National Electrical Code. All apprentices also cover Job Safety, First Aid, Job Site Management, and Supervision.

Our curriculum is registered with and approved by the U.S. Department of Labor. The curriculum is fully developed and constantly updated by a full-time staff at the National Joint Apprenticeship Training & Committee (NJATC).

Each section of the curriculum is written and monitored by NJATC personnel with actual experience and expertise in that particular field. The NJATC is in constant contact with all the local JATC electrical apprenticeship programs throughout the United States & Canada in order to maintain and continue to improve the curriculum.

Yes. Our participating employers require their workers to be tested (both scheduled and random) for substance abuse. Failing a drug test will result in serious penalties up to and including being terminated from the program.

Quad City Electrical Training Center
1700 52nd Avenue
Moline, IL 61265
309-762-3270

The electrical apprentice will learn the trade by working under the watchful eyes of skilled and experienced Journeymen Electricians. The work is both inside and outside.

You may be:

Digging a ditch, handling heavy conduit or equipment, pulling heavy cable, cleaning and sweeping the work area, or climbing an extension ladder to install equipment in the ceiling.

Running small conduit and pulling small wire for lights and receptacles in a commercial building, or troubleshooting.

In a new building just going up or on a job within an existing facility. The work is usually physical, often dirty, and requires that you use your mind as well as your hands.

Yes. You would work a full-time 40-hour work week, year-round (dependent on the work situation). You would also attend class one night per week, 4 hours per night, generally from August through May. On occasion, you would be required to attend additional classes.

As jobs become available. When our sponsoring contractors need apprentices, they contact the JATC as to their needs for new employees. The JATC then places the apprentice with the contractor.

If you are accepted into the apprenticeship program, the JATC will place you with one of our sponsoring contractors.

Any high school graduate or person with a G.E.D. who is at least 18 years old, is physically fit and healthy, has completed one year of high school algebra or equivalent with a passing grade, and possesses a valid Driver’s License can become eligible for apprenticeship. Applicants must pass the NJATC General Aptitude Test administered by the JATC. You do not need any prior experience in the electrical field.

A person who has previous experience in the trade and can substantiate 2,000 hours of on-the-job experience in the electrical construction industry can be exempted from the aptitude test. The Committee shall select apprentices from those applicants who best qualify under the Standards regardless of race, religion, color, national origin or sex.

If a person has previous experience in the trade, but cannot qualify for apprenticeship, he or she may contact the IBEW Local Union 145 for further information on opportunities within the industry. The phone number for the IBEW 145 Hall in Moline is 309.736.4239.

All applications are checked to verify compliance with minimum requirements. Those who qualify and who have submitted the required documents are eligible to take the aptitude test. Those who achieve qualifying scores on the aptitude test are scheduled for an interview with the JATC Apprenticeship Committee. Once interviewed, applicants will be given an interview score. The score will be recorded on the ranking list. As positions become available, apprentices are selected from the ranking list based on their interview score.

The Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC) takes applications all year and interviews all qualified applicants after the application cycle is complete.

An apprentice is paid a percentage of what a Journeyman earns. The percentage is determined by the apprentice's progress in training. Starting pay for electrical apprentices is 40% of Journeyman pay. Each Apprentice will receive a substantial pay raise one time per year. At the completion of apprenticeship, the graduate will advance to journeyman level and be paid the full wage scale.

All apprentices are covered under the same health insurance and retirement pensions as Journeymen. Health insurance takes effect approximately six months after the apprentice is indentured. The retirement pensions include both international pensions and local pensions.

Yes. Our program is recognized by the V.A. Many of our students receive their Veteran’s Benefits while participating in our program.