| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Registered union apprenticeship (Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee), not a school; paid work plus part-time classes |
| Names | Charlotte Electrical Joint Apprenticeship & Training Committee, doing business as Carolinas Electrical Training Institute (CETI) |
| Sponsors | IBEW Local Union 379 and the Atlantic Coast Chapter of NECA (National Electrical Contractors Association) |
| Training center | One, in Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Program | Inside wireman apprenticeship, 4 years: 8,000 hours of paid on-the-job training and 900 classroom hours |
| Classes | About one afternoon a week (1 to 6 pm) plus some Saturdays; school year starts in August |
| Cost | No tuition amount published; contractors fund the JATC. Apprentices buy books, tools, work clothes and shoes |
| Pay | $20.30 an hour to start (60% of the journeyman rate), on the scale effective January 1 to August 31, 2026 |
| Federal aid | Not applicable: apprentices are paid employees, not students at a college |
| Registration | Listed with ApprenticeshipNC (NC Community College System) |
| Accreditation | None (a registered apprenticeship, not a college) |
| Applications | Open for the August 2027 class; deadline March 31, 2027 |
| Organization | 501(c)(3) nonprofit; IRS ruling dated February 2001 |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
A union apprenticeship, not a school
Carolinas Electrical Training Institute (CETI) is the name the Charlotte Electrical Joint Apprenticeship & Training Committee (JATC) uses for its training center. The committee is made up of four representatives of IBEW Local Union 379 and three of the Atlantic Coast Chapter of NECA, the union contractors’ association. It trains inside wiremen, the electricians who install and maintain electrical systems in commercial and industrial buildings, using the curriculum of the electrical training ALLIANCE / National Joint Apprenticeship & Training Committee (NJATC).
It is not a trade school. You apply for a place in the class that starts in August, go through a competitive selection that includes an aptitude test and oral interviews, and, once accepted, work for pay for a contractor that has signed an agreement with Local 379 while attending class part-time for four years. CETI’s site names one training center, in Charlotte.
The inside wireman apprenticeship
| Program | Length | Format | Where | Leads to | Cost to you |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inside Wireman Apprenticeship | 4 years | Paid work for union contractors (8,000 hours); class about one afternoon a week plus some Saturdays (900 hours) | Charlotte training center and contractors’ job sites | Journeyman inside wireman; no state license (see below) | No tuition amount published; books, tools, work clothes and shoes |
This is the only apprenticeship CETI’s site describes. It does not describe a residential wireman, telecommunications (limited-energy) or outside lineman program, so if you want line work, ask IBEW Local 379 rather than assuming CETI runs it. The center also runs Saturday safety classes for journeyman wiremen: OSHA 10, OSHA 30 and NFPA 70E were on its 2026 schedule.
What the apprenticeship covers
Classroom
The four-year curriculum adds up to 900 classroom hours of study, training and examinations, according to the JATC’s About page. Classes are held about one day a week from 1 to 6 pm, plus some Saturdays, at the Charlotte center, and the school year starts in August. The curriculum follows the electrical training ALLIANCE / NJATC program. To complete the program, apprentices finish their classroom and on-the-job hours and pass the NJATC Craft Certification Examination and Performance Test.
On the job
Apprentices log 8,000 hours of paid on-the-job training over the four years with signatory electrical contractors, the companies that have signed agreements with IBEW Local 379. Placement is part of the model: you work for those contractors rather than finding a job on your own. The work is commercial and industrial wiring and maintenance, the scope of an inside wireman. You must buy your own tools, work clothes and work shoes, as well as your textbooks and workbooks.
Pay, costs and benefits
Apprentice pay is set as a percentage of the journeyman wireman rate. CETI’s “Wage Scale 2026” page (checked October 2026) gives this scale, effective January 1, 2026, to August 31, 2026:
| Step | % of journeyman rate | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice 1 | 60% | $20.30 |
| Apprentice 2 | 62% | $20.97 |
| Apprentice 3 | 69% | $23.34 |
| Apprentice 4 | 76% | $25.71 |
| Apprentice 5 | 85% | $28.76 |
| Journeyman wireman | 100% | $33.83 |
The scale has five apprentice steps for a four-year program, and the page does not say how the steps map to years or hours. Rates after August 31, 2026 were not posted when we checked. Employers also contribute to a health and welfare plan and, after a probationary period, to a pension.
CETI publishes no tuition amount, and it does not say whether apprentices pay any tuition or school fee. The JATC is funded by a negotiated contribution that each contractor pays per hour worked. Apprentices buy their own textbooks, workbooks, tools, work clothes and work shoes; books are paid for through a “Pay School Fees” page on the JATC’s site, and no prices are published. Federal student aid does not apply. For veterans, the site links to Helmets to Hardhats and to Local 379’s Veterans Committee; it does not say whether GI Bill benefits can be used.
How to apply
CETI is accepting applications for the August 2027 school year, with a deadline of March 31, 2027. The home page says applications are taken on a rolling basis until then (checked October 2026). To apply, you download the PDF application from the How to Apply page, fill it in electronically, email it to the JATC office and sign it at your interview. The requirements page lists:
- minimum age of 18
- a high school diploma or GED
- one full credit of high school algebra with a passing grade
- a valid driver’s license
- a Social Security card
A summary of the requirements page also mentions 4,000 hours of related experience as an alternative to the algebra credit; we could not confirm that wording, so check it with the JATC. Selection includes oral interviews, and the site describes a competitive selection process with an aptitude test, pointing applicants to an outside test-prep course. Test content and scoring are not published, and we could not read the application form itself.
Registration, licensing and outcomes
CETI says its program is registered with the state and federal Department of Labor; it is listed as an apprenticeship program by ApprenticeshipNC, part of the North Carolina Community College System, which has run the state’s registered apprenticeship program since it moved from the NC Department of Labor under Session Law 2017-57. As an apprenticeship rather than a college, it has no institutional accreditation. The JATC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with an IRS ruling dated February 2001. ProPublica’s summary of its filing for the year ending December 2025 shows revenue of about $1.44 million and expenses of about $1.79 million.
Completing the apprenticeship makes you a journeyman inside wireman, not a licensed electrician. North Carolina has no state journeyman electrician license: the State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors licenses electrical contractors, in limited, intermediate, unlimited and special restricted classes, and sets experience requirements for its license exams. Whether apprenticeship hours count toward that experience is not confirmed; ask the board.
CETI publishes no completion or job placement rates.
Before you apply
- Applications for the August 2027 class close March 31, 2027. The form is a PDF that you email to the JATC office, and the school year starts in August.
- Meeting the requirements gets you into a competitive selection, not a guaranteed place. Prepare for the aptitude test and the interview.
- You will work for pay while attending class about one afternoon a week and some Saturdays, for four years. You buy your own tools, books, work clothes and shoes, and no prices are published.
- The posted wage scale ran only to August 31, 2026. Ask for the current rates before you count on the figures above.
- IBEW Local 379 also covers the Greenville and Upstate South Carolina area and some counties in northern Georgia, but CETI’s site does not say whether apprentices from those areas train at the Charlotte center. If you live outside the Charlotte region, ask which program you would apply to.
Sources
Checked October 2026: CETI home · CETI about · CETI apprenticeship program · CETI wage scale 2026 · CETI how to apply · ApprenticeshipNC listing · NC electrical contractor licensing · ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer
Programs & Courses
Electrical apprenticeship
- Inside Wireman Apprenticeship (4 years, registered apprenticeship)
Journeyman continuing education
- OSHA 10, OSHA 30 and NFPA 70E classes for journeyman wiremen (Saturdays, 2026 schedule)
Campus Locations
Charlotte, NC 13530 S Ridge Dr, Charlotte, NC 28273