NECA-IBEW Electrical JATC
Portland · Area I · 761 apprentices
- 1
Apply in an open period
The program takes applications when the trade needs apprentices, on dates and at places it announces. You fill in its form, pay the $35 fee and send your transcripts to its training center.
- 2
Test and interview
You need the qualifying score on the NJATC aptitude test, then a structured interview. Your interview score sets your place in a ranked pool, where you stay for 2 years.
- 3
Wait for an opening
When the program needs more apprentices, it offers places in ranked order. You do an orientation and a basic skills course, then a background check and a drug test before you're placed with an employer.
- 4
Work and attend classes
You work for the employer you're placed with, and you take classes each year until you finish.
To apply
- Age
- At least 17 to apply and 18 to be registered.
- School
- A high school diploma with a GPA of 2.0 or higher, a GED with the score the standards set, or an associate degree or higher.
- Math
- One year of high school algebra with a C or better. A college algebra course, a college math placement result or the NJATC online math course also counts.
- Fee
- $35, not refundable. You can ask for a waiver if your income is below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines.
Once you're in
- Length
- 8,000 hours on the job and 5 years of classes.
- Classes
- At least 180 hours of classes each year. You keep a current first aid and CPR card.
- Pay
- 6 steps, from $26.20 an hour (40% of the journey rate) to $55.68 (85%). From the third step on, each raise also needs that year's classes passed. The journey rate, $65.50, is the average pay of journey-level workers at its employers on January 1, 2026. The program's page lists every step.
- Probation
- Your first 2,000 hours on the job, or your first year, whichever is shorter.
- Area
- Clatsop, Clackamas, Columbia, Hood River, Multnomah, Sherman, Tillamook, Wasco and Washington counties and the north of Yamhill County, plus 5 counties in Washington.