Apprenticeship is a training strategy that combines supervised, structured on-the-job training with related theoretical instruction. The training program is sponsored by employers or labor/management groups that have the ability to hire and train in a work environment. Apprenticeship prepares people for skilled employment, with the content of the training defined and dictated by the needs of a particular industry.

Typical apprenticeship programs span 2-5 years with a minimum of 144 hours of related supplemental instruction each year. The program requirements are clearly delineated in Federal & State laws and regulations. A registered apprenticeship requires a signed, written agreement (indenture) between the sponsor and apprentice. The apprentice agrees to perform the work faithfully with diligence and to complete the related course study. The sponsor agrees to make every effort to keep the apprentice employed and to comply with the standards established for the program. This legal contract insures quality training on-the-job, in the classroom, and leads to a certificate of completion and journeyman-level status. These credentials have explicit meaning, recognition and respect in the eyes of Federal & State governments and the outside electrical industry.

Apprentices are full time employees. Wages are paid to participants during the on-the-job phase of training. Wages increase as progress is made in the program, in accordance with the predefined wage progression scale outlines in the indenture agreement.