About the OEJATC

Our Apprenticeship goal is to provide you with the neccesary skills and knowledge required for your electrical career. You will receive on the job training as well as classroom instruction. The Owensboro Electricians Joint Apprenticeship and Training Program (OEJATC) is an Electrical Construction Training Program that consists of five (5) years of classroom instruction and 8,000 hours of on-the-job training. Class is typically two (2) nights per week, three (3) hours per night and held at our training facility. The type of work performed may range from wiring houses, shopping malls, hospitals, to the Largest Power Plants. If you have any previous electrical work experience you may also receive credit for hours worked on the job.

Five Volts to Lightning.
That’s the commonly said description of an Inside Wireman’s scope of work. Even with no prior electrical experience, our NJATC Apprenticeship program can give you the training and skills needed to excel in each aspect of that description. During this time, you will still be working and earning a living.

  • 5 years of classroom instruction as well as On-the-Job Training
  • Yearly pay raises throughout the program
  • Associate Degree from KCTCS in Electrical Technology
  • Various Certifications and Extra Training available
  • Obtain your Kentucky State Electrical License

Applicants who meet all basic requirements will be interviewed by the JATC. Applicants will be selected for apprenticeship in the order of their final ranking based on interview scores. The recruitment, selection, employment and training of apprentices during their apprenticeship, shall be without discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex. The applicant must meet the minimum age requirement. The JATC does not, and will not, discriminate against a qualified individual with a disability because of the disability of such individual. The sponsor will take affirmative action to provide equal opportunity in apprenticeship and will operate the apprenticeship program as required under applicable law and lawful regulations issued thereunder.

Requirements to Apply

  • Minimum Age of 17 at time of application
  • High School Diploma or GED Equivalent
  • Passing grade of High School or College Algebra
  • Ability to Pass a Drug Screen
  • Able to furnish your own transportation
  • Reside in one of our 9 jurisdictional counties: Daviess, Hancock, Henderson, Hopkins, McLean, Muhlenberg, Ohio, Union, or Webster Counties.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an apprenticeship?

Apprenticeship is the method most skilled trades use to train new workers for a particular craft. The apprentice and the sponsoring parties sign an agreement, called an indenture, which sets forth the duration of the apprenticeship and responsibilities of each to the other. The Owensboro Electricians Joint Apprenticeship and Training Program is an Electrical Construction Training Program. The electrical apprenticeship consists of five (5) years of school, with a minimum of 8,000 hours of on the job training, and an additional 180 hours, at minimum, per year in the classroom.

The type of work performed may range from wiring houses, shopping malls, hospitals, to the largest power plants. This program is sponsored and operated by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1701 and the National Electrical Contractors Association, Southern Indiana Chapter under the guidelines of the Kentucky Labor Department and the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee.

What does an apprentice do?

The Apprenticeship Committee assigns each indentured apprentice to work for a qualified electrical contractor in the jurisdictional area and provides the schooling the apprentice is required to attend. Each apprentice is under direct supervision of a JW (Journeyman Wireman). The JW is responsible for training the apprentice while on the job site.

The apprentice will learn the Trade by doing the work under the watchful eyes of skilled and experienced Journeymen. The work itself may be almost anything you can imagine. Electricians work in the mud and dust of the construction project, in all kinds of weather, inside and outside. You may be digging a ditch, handling heavy conduit or appliances, pulling heavy cable, wading in mud or climbing in the steel. You may be running small conduit and pulling small wire for lights and receptacles, or trying to find out why a motor doesn’t run when the start button is pushed. You may be working in a controlled environment, making connections to a computer, networking and using this equipment to perform job functions, or freezing in a steady downpour to unload a heavy piece of gear. You will be installing and terminating fiber optics cable and installing and wiring programmable controls.

The variety of work you may be expected to perform, and the weather and other conditions under which you may be expected to perform it, are almost limitless. The work is usually physical, often dirty, and it usually requires that you use your mind at the same time. You will work in one of the world’s most dangerous environments…the construction job. It may be a new building just going up or a job within an existing building or facility. In any case, the job will cause you to be around moving machinery, noise, dirt, poor footing, falling objects, construction debris, and any number of other hazards. You will learn to cope with all of these things, and still do a productive day’s work.

What are the program requirements?

This program consists of five (5) years of school and 8,000 hours of on the job training. School is typically held two (2) nights per week, three (3) hours per night, or six (6) hours on Saturday as determined by the Committee. You will also attend an additional class once per week to work towards an Associate Degree. The classes are held in Owensboro and the total class hours per year are 186 class hours. One hundred eighty (180) hours of school per year is required for advancement into the next year. If you have previous electrical school, you may receive credit for one or more years of school. On the job training is also part of the program. You will be assigned by the Committee to a Contractor for on the job training. There is no guarantee of steady employment however – for the most part, Apprentices stay busy nearly year ’round. Work may not interfere with your required schooling. If you have previous experience, before entering this program, you may also receive credit for hours work on the jobs.

Our program is a drug free program and a negative result is a condition for entrance into the program. Apprentices are drug tested annually and randomly. You must stay drug free! Our program has implemented rules and policies which much be followed by all Apprentices. These policies include absenteeism from work and school, tardiness from work and school, required monthly work reports that must be turned in by the Apprentice, class disruptions, use of alcohol and drugs at school or at work and procedures to be followed if an Apprentice is terminated by an Employer. Failure to follow the required rules may result into termination from our Program.

What is the curriculum like?

The curriculum includes a wide range of education in areas such as Electrical Theory, Lighting and Power Distribution, Industrial Controls, Communication Equipment, Testing Equipment, High Voltage Distribution, and The National Electrical Code. Apprentices also cover specialized areas such as: Instrumentation, Communications (Networks), Programmable Logic Controllers, Computers, Fire Alarm Systems, Welding, and Job Site Management & Supervision. The five years of school also includes: First Aid, CPR, and OSHA Training—this allows the apprentice to be aware of safety concerns and to have the ability to act accordingly in an emergency situation.

The curriculum is fully developed and constantly updated by a full-time staff at the electrical training ALLIANCE. Each section of the curriculum is written and monitored by personnel with actual experience and expertise in that particular field and they are in constant contact with all the local electrical apprenticeship programs throughout the United States & Canada in order to maintain and continue to improve the curriculum.

How much does schooling and training for the apprenticeship cost?

The Program will pay for your books, which you can keep upon completion of the program. You do not pay tuition, class fees, etc. You are paid while you work for the employer who is training you. However, you will not be paid while attending the required classes. There is a mandatory fee for the area Apprenticeship License, which usually falls between $15 and $20. In addition, you will be required to purchase a set of personal hand tools that are necessary for the trade. You will receive a list of tools that an apprentice will need during your first class session.

How much does an apprentice electrician earn?

An Apprentice is paid a percentage of what a Journeyman Electrician earns, with the percentage determined by the Apprentice’s number of on-the-job work hours. You will start at 40% of the current Journeyman scale. Pay increases are not automatic, but are dependent upon progress and cooperation in training, plus satisfactory completion of school each year. The pay will increase to 45% of Journeyman scale at 1,000 hours of work, 55% at 2,000 hours of work, 60% at 3,500 hours of work, 65% at 5,000 hours of work, and 75% at 6,500 hours of work.

Are apprentices eligible for health insurance and retirement benefits?

Yes. All apprentices are covered under the same health insurance and retirement pensions as the Journeyman Electrician. Pension benefits, Health Insurance, Dental Insurance, and Vision Insurance are paid by the Contractor above the wage rate. The health insurance is a comprehensive plan that includes vision, dental, and prescription drug co-payments. The retirement pensions include (2) International pensions and (1) Local pension. 

The IBEW and NECA jointly formed the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee for the electrical construction industry. The NJATC developed uniform standards that are adopted nationwide to select and train qualified men and women for careers in the electrical construction industry.

The IBEW is the largest electrical workers union in the world, representing workers’ rights in all areas of the electrical industry.

The Southern Indiana Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association sets industry standards for traditional electrical and energy systems, and helps contractors develop solutions to meet customer needs, such as reduced energy costs and application of new technologies.

Owensboro JATC
Hours of Operation: Monday through Friday, 8:00a.m. – 4:30p.m.


Our Training Facility

Our training facility includes lecture classrooms, as well as labs where apprentices will practice hands-on with conduit fabrication, circuitry and wiring, fire alarm systems, motor controls, motors, and transformers. We continue to partner with many companies, as well as our contractors, to provide our apprentices with the latest tools, equipment, and technology pertaining to the electrical industry.

Our Staff & Instructors

Jason Sharp

Apprenticeship Director

Chris Bartlett

OEJATC Instructor

Shad Chappell

OEJATC Instructor

Joe Ballard

OEJATC Instructor

Kevin Merimee

OEJATC Instructor

Rick Thurman

OEJATC Instructor

Corey Willis

OEJATC Instructor