| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Registered union apprenticeship (Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee), not a school; paid full-time work plus part-time classes |
| Names | Louisville Electrical JATC (LEJATC); also called the Kentuckiana Electrical Apprenticeship |
| Sponsors | IBEW Local Union 369 and the Louisville Chapter of NECA (National Electrical Contractors Association) |
| Training centers | Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky |
| Area covered | 68 or 69 Kentucky counties and 7 in southern Indiana (the sponsor’s own pages give both Kentucky figures) |
| Program | Inside wireman (electrician) apprenticeship, 4 years |
| Cost | No tuition; books covered. $55 application fee; apprentices buy tools, work clothes, boots, supplies and a computer |
| Pay | 50% of the journeyman rate at the start ($22.13 an hour), rising by wage period (October 2026) |
| Federal aid | Not applicable (no tuition); the FAQ says veterans can use their benefits |
| Applications | Closed. The last window ran 1–14 September 2026 |
| Founded | November 1956 |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
A union apprenticeship, not a school
The Louisville Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (LEJATC) trains inside wiremen, the electricians who wire homes, commercial buildings and industrial plants. It is run jointly by IBEW Local 369 and the Louisville Chapter of NECA (formerly the Louisville Electrical Contractors Association) and was founded in November 1956. The sponsor calls itself the Louisville Electrical JATC; “Kentuckiana Electrical Apprenticeship” is a name it has used in a news announcement.
It works differently from a trade school. You apply during a short application window, take an aptitude test and an interview, and are placed on a ranking list. Once selected, you are hired out to a union contractor, work full-time for pay and attend class one day every other week for four years. There is no tuition. The sponsor says it has over 400 apprentices enrolled across all years and gives continuing education to more than 1,600 other qualified electrical workers.
The inside wireman apprenticeship
| Program | Length | Format | Where | Leads to | Cost to you |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inside Wireman / Electrician Apprentice | 4 years | Full-time paid work with union contractors; class one 8-hour day every other week, August to June; coursework on a home computer | Louisville or Lexington training center | Journeyman wireman; experience toward the Kentucky electrician licence exam | No tuition; $55 application fee, plus tools, clothing, boots, supplies and a computer |
This is the only program the JATC takes applications for. It does not run outside line (lineman) training: the FAQ refers line applicants to IBEW Local 369, whose outside apprentices train through ALBAT (American Line Builders Apprenticeship Training), a separate registered program. There is no separate residential or telecom program; those subjects are part of the wireman curriculum.
What the apprenticeship covers
Classroom and lab
Class is one 8-hour day every other week during the day, from August to June, plus coursework done on a home computer. The sponsor lists residential, commercial and industrial installations, AC and DC theory, print reading, grounding, conduit bending, motor controls, PLCs and industrial automation, fire alarm and security systems, solar PV and electric-vehicle charging, low-voltage, fiber optic and communications work in a BICSI-certified lab, medium voltage, the National Electrical Code and safety. All 62 graduates of 2023 earned EVITP certification for EV charger installation.
On the job
Apprentices work about 40 hours a week, year-round, for contractors that have signed agreements with IBEW Local 369, sometimes with overtime. The JATC dispatches them to jobs, so you do not find your own employer. Optional certifications named by the sponsor include NABCEP (solar), IMSA, EPRI, 3M and TYCO. Applicants with prior electrical training can get some credit toward the apprenticeship.
Pay, costs and benefits
Apprentices are paid a percentage of the journeyman wireman rate, which the application page listed at $44.26 an hour (October 2026; no effective date given), with benefits on top. The FAQ gives starting pay of $22.13 an hour for the first six months. The scale on the application page, with hourly figures calculated from that rate:
| Wage period | % of journeyman rate | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 50% | $22.13 |
| 2nd | 52.5% | $23.24 |
| 3rd | 55% | $24.34 |
| 4th | 60% | $26.56 |
| 5th | 65% | $28.77 |
| 6th | 70% | $30.98 |
The sponsor does not say how long each later period lasts. Apprentices join the same health and pension plans as journeymen, with health coverage starting after about 211 working hours.
The FAQ says there is currently no tuition and books are covered. You pay a $55 application fee and buy your own school supplies, computer, work clothing, boots and tools; no amounts are published. The FAQ says veterans can use their benefits for this training.
After completing the apprenticeship and some extra general-education classes, graduates can earn an Associate of Applied Science degree from Ivy Tech, according to the FAQ.
How to apply
Applications open only in set windows. The most recent ran from 1 to 14 September 2026 and is closed; aptitude testing for that round is scheduled for 19–22 October 2026. No next window had been announced when we checked in October 2026.
To apply you must:
- be 18 by the time you are accepted
- have a high school diploma or GED, with official transcripts or GED scores
- have passed one full credit of high school algebra or higher with a C or better
- hold a valid driver’s licence
- pass a drug test before being indentured (employers also test at random)
The FAQ sets out seven steps: the online application; documents within 21 days; a Personal Experience Form through GAN Human Resources within two weeks, which can include work history, certifications, military records and up to three recommendation letters; an aptitude test of about 2.5 hours; a 10–15-minute interview with a panel from IBEW 369, the training center and NECA; a place on the ranking list, which stays valid for a year from the interview; and job placement as openings occur. The process takes about two to three months. The JATC says women and minorities are encouraged to apply.
Registration and outcomes
The JATC’s About page says it registers its apprentices with the state and federal Departments of Labor. In Kentucky, apprenticeships are approved by the Office of Employer and Apprenticeship Services. As an apprenticeship rather than a college, it has no institutional accreditation and no federal student aid. The Kentucky Department of Education lists an articulation agreement with the LEJATC (MOU LEJATC-25-26-0008, effective 7 July 2025) covering the electrical TRACK pre-apprenticeship; its terms are not published in a readable form. The JATC publishes no completion or placement rate; its class of 2023 had 62 graduates.
The JATC does not issue an electrician licence. Under Kentucky law (KRS 227A.060), an electrician licence requires 8,000 hours of verifiable experience and a state exam, and two years of a four-year apprenticeship can count for 4,000 of those hours.
Before you apply
- Selection is competitive. Meeting the requirements gets you tested and interviewed, not accepted; you are placed from a ranking list only as contractors need apprentices, and the list expires after a year.
- You can only apply during an application window. The 2026 window closed on 14 September; check the application page for the next one.
- The algebra requirement is specific: one full credit of high school algebra or higher with a C or better. Plan to fix that before the window if you lack it.
- Being paid while you train also means working full-time while doing classes every other week and coursework at home, for four years. You need your own computer and tools.
- This program trains inside wiremen. If you want to be a lineworker, in IBEW Local 369’s area that apprenticeship is run by ALBAT, not the LEJATC.
What students say
We found no review platform with 25 or more reviews of this apprenticeship (checked October 2026), so we do not give a rating or summary.
Sources
Checked October 2026: LEJATC application information · LEJATC FAQ · LEJATC about us · LEJATC news · IBEW Local 369 · Kentucky apprenticeship programs · KRS 227A.060 · KDE articulation agreements
Programs & Courses
Electrical apprenticeship
- Inside Wireman / Electrician Apprentice (4 years, registered apprenticeship)
Journeyman training
- Continuing education for journeyman wiremen (Qualified Electrical Workers)
Campus Locations
Louisville, KY 4315 Preston Hwy, #100, Louisville, KY 40213
Lexington, KY 533 Buck Place, Lexington, KY 40511