An electrician apprenticeship is a paid job with training, and you don't need experience to start one. Ohio has 100 registered electrician apprenticeship programs, with 10,350 apprentices in training at the latest federal count.
About $690 a week at 40 hours. The middle half of starting wages is $14.40 to $20.42 an hour.
Median pay at the end
$31.30 an hour
About $1,250 a week at 40 hours.
From 9,032 recent starting wages in 93 programs, and 4,435 people who finished recently in 81 programs. The 2 figures come from different groups of apprentices, not the same people followed from start to finish.
How to get in
Pick 2 or 3 programs near you
Use the list below. Search each program's name with its city to find it.
Each program takes applications in its own way. Ask each program how and when it takes applications.
The Newark Electrical JATC takes new account requests on its portal on any day. The Electrical Trades Center in Columbus accepts applications all year, and the full process from account to test results can take up to 3 months.
Each of these programs carries the name of a contractor association: Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) or Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC).
No program matches. Pick another area or check the spelling.
Also trains other trades: these 7 sponsors train more than one trade, so their count includes apprentices in their other trades.A count of 0 means the federal data recorded no apprentices in training, and it doesn't always mean the program has closed.Maintenance: the federal data marks these programs as training maintenance electricians.
Programs inside prisons
The Ohio Central School System, which is the school system of the Ohio corrections department, runs 1 of the 100 programs. This program trains people who are incarcerated. You can't apply to this program from outside, and the wage figures don't include it.
ODRC Ohio Central School System - Incarcerated Individual OnlyColumbus1,493 apprentices
How one program works: The Electrical Trades Center
Each program runs in its own way. This is how one of them takes apprentices and trains them, as its own pages describe it.
The Electrical Trades Center
Columbus · Columbus area · 918 apprentices
1
Create your account
Request an account on The Electrical Trades Center's online portal only once, because duplicate requests delay approval. The program processes requests by the next business day.
2
Send your documents
You have 60 days to complete your application and upload your transcripts, your GED scores if you have a GED, and a copy of your birth certificate. Pay the $50 fee with your application. If you're a high school senior, you can apply from 60 days before graduation with a letter from your advisor that says you're on track.
3
Take the GAN aptitude test
Bring a photo ID, and don't bring a calculator. You get your score within 60 days.
4
Work and attend night classes
The Columbus apprenticeship is 8,000 hours on the job and 1,028 classroom hours in night classes. You need the State of Ohio fire alarm installer license to move to year 4. In year 4, you complete OSHA 30, first aid and CPR, and rigging and confined-space training.
The Newark Electrical JATC in Heath is the largest program open to outside applicants. A first-period apprentice earns half the journeyman rate, which is $22.34 an hour, and the rate rises with hours worked to 80% at 6,500 hours. The journeyman rate is $44.67 an hour, or $70.68 an hour with pension and health contributions.
To apply at The Electrical Trades Center in Columbus
$50
The Electrical Trades Center is the Columbus training committee, and it has the next-largest class. The application fee is $50. The program scores your GAN aptitude test and your experience form from 0 to 100, ranks every eligible applicant, and takes candidates from the top score down.
To apply to the Newark Electrical JATC, you must be 18 years old. You need a high school diploma or GED with a passing grade in algebra. The committee selects apprentices by an aptitude test score and an interview.
The Newark apprenticeship takes 5 years. You need 8,000 hours on the job and 5 years of classroom instruction, with class on Monday and Thursday evenings from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm. Your classes count toward an associate degree at Northwest State Community College.
Tuition at the Newark Electrical JATC is $300 a year. The apprentice with the highest GPA and the apprentice with the most verified volunteer hours each get free tuition for the next school year.
To complete the Newark apprenticeship, you also need 3 credentials. You need an OSHA 30 card, first aid and CPR certification, and the State of Ohio fire alarm installer license.
The GAN aptitude test at The Electrical Trades Center covers 5 subjects. The test doesn't cover electrical knowledge.
Ohio has no statewide electrician license. Cities and counties issue their own licenses and set their own rules, so the rules change from one city to the next. Check the rules in the city or county where you plan to work.
U.S. Department of Labor national apprenticeship data, extract of August 17, 2026: the programs, the apprentice counts, the 2 median wages and the range of starting wages
Newark Electrical JATC 2026-2027 wage chart and Administrative Policy, posted in the program's public documents folder and at ibewlocal1105.org: the wage scale, the tuition, the free tuition awards, the class nights and the 5-year program
The U.S. Department of Labor data has 8 Ohio filings whose registration numbers name a different state. No figure counts those filings. Every bar uses the same scale.
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