Who runs lineman apprenticeships?
There are two main doors. The first is the outside line JATC, a joint committee run by the IBEW and NECA that dispatches apprentices to line contractors across several states. The electrical training alliance lists nine area-wide outside centers, including ALBAT in Ohio, SELCAT in Georgia, Mountain States in Utah, North West Line in Washington, Cal-Nev in California and Southwestern in New Mexico. Expect to travel. Cal-Nev, for example, asks applicants to be willing to work anywhere in California and Nevada.
The second door is a utility program. A public power district or investor-owned utility hires you as an apprentice and trains you on its own system. Snohomish County PUD No. 1 in Washington runs one with a lineman term of 7,000 hours over 42 months. Snohomish County PUD allows fewer apprentices per journeyman than North West Line: one for every two journey-level linemen, compared with one for one. Openings are fewer, but the work stays close to home.
How the hours and steps work
At the North West Line JATC, the hours and steps work like this. You must log at least 7,000 hours of supervised work, split into seven steps of 1,000 hours each. Gaps between jobs can push you past three and a half years. You also attend at least 187 hours of related classroom instruction each year. That time is unpaid and does not count toward your work hours.
A journey-level lineman must supervise you on the job site for at least 75% of each day. The committee, not you, makes job assignments and moves you between contractors to keep you working and learning the full range of tasks. Your first stretch is probationary, and the program can drop you without appeal during it. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says apprentices typically reach journey level after three or four years.
What apprentices earn
Apprentice pay is a percentage of the journeyman rate, and it rises as you log hours. At North West Line, step one pays 60% of scale. It moves to 63%, 67%, 72%, 78% and 86%, then hits 90% in the last 1,000 hours. Snohomish PUD's lineman schedule starts higher at 74% and climbs every six months to 95% in the final half-year.
In dollars, the Cal-Nev Power Lineman JATC lists a starting wage of $34.07 an hour in California's apprenticeship database. Once you top out, the BLS puts the median for power-line installers and repairers at $95,320 a year as of May 2025. Overtime on storm work can push real earnings above base scale.
How to get a place
Selection is by rank. At North West Line, you pay a $35 application fee, which can be waived if your income is under the federal poverty line. Then you complete an online orientation, post a qualifying aptitude test score and sit an interview. Your interview score sets your place on the rank list, and offers go out in that order. When your name comes up, you have 24 hours to accept a dispatch, or you are dropped.
If you miss out, you can reapply after one year with 300 hours of related work or schooling, or after two years without it. Ground work for a line contractor is a common way to build those hours. Workers with 3,500 documented hours in line construction, including climbing, can apply through a separate experienced-entry route.
Pay
USD a year, before tax. Ranges show the 25th to 75th percentile for power and utilities workers. They come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, adjusted to 2026 with a wage index. State figures are modeled estimates. Apprentices earn a share of these figures, and union scale, overtime and storm work move them most. Refer to the Power & Utilities salary guide for figures from live adverts.
What you need
- AgeYou must be at least 18. North West Line checks this at application, and Cal-Nev lists 18 as its minimum age.
- EducationYou need a high school diploma or equivalent. North West Line also accepts a two-year associate degree in place of the diploma.
- AlgebraNorth West Line requires one full credit of high school algebra with a C or better, a post-high school algebra course or the NJATC online tech math course. Cal-Nev asks for two semesters of high school algebra or one semester of college algebra.
- Commercial driver's licenseNorth West Line requires a valid Class A CDL with no manual transmission restriction before you apply. Cal-Nev requires you to be able to get a CDL once you are indentured.
- First aid and CPRNorth West Line requires a valid first aid and CPR card, and online-only certifications do not count.
- Physical fitnessYou must be able to climb poles and towers and work at height. BLS notes that some programs give a fitness test and a substance abuse screening.
State by state
| California and Nevada | The Cal-Nev Power Lineman JATC runs a 42-month program with a minimum age of 18 and an oral exam but no written test. Apprentices must hold a valid commercial driver's license and be willing to travel across both states. |
|---|---|
| Washington (Northwest outside line) | The Northwest Line Construction Industry JATC requires 7,000 hours in seven 1,000-hour steps and at least 187 classroom hours a year. You need a Class A CDL and a first aid/CPR card to apply. |
How to get there
- Before applyingGet ready to applyFinish high school and an algebra course. Earn a Class A CDL without the manual transmission restriction, and get an in-person first aid/CPR card.
- Months 0-12Apply and rankPay the application fee, complete orientation, pass the aptitude test and interview. Your score sets your place on the rank list.
- First monthsAccept dispatch and probationAccept an offer within 24 hours. Your first period on the job is probationary.
- Year 1-2Early stepsAt North West Line, pay runs from 60% to 72% of scale across the first 4,000 hours. Classroom instruction continues every year.
- Year 2-4Late stepsFrom 4,001 to 7,000 hours, pay climbs to 78%, 86% and then 90% of scale.
- Year 3.5-4Journeyman linemanOnce you finish your hours and training, you are a journey-level lineman and can work without direct supervision.
Open now on ElectricalRoles.com
Questions people ask
How many hours is a lineman apprenticeship?
Both programs reviewed here require 7,000 hours: the North West Line JATC and the Snohomish County PUD lineman program. Snohomish sets the term at 42 months. At North West Line, gaps in work can stretch it past three and a half years.
Do I need a CDL before I apply?
It depends on the program. North West Line requires a valid Class A CDL with no manual transmission restriction at application. Cal-Nev lets you get the CDL once you are indentured.
How much does an apprentice lineman make?
Apprentices earn a percentage of the journeyman rate. At North West Line, it starts at 60% and reaches 90% in the final step. Cal-Nev lists a starting wage of $34.07 an hour.
Is there an aptitude test?
At North West Line, you need a qualifying aptitude test score and must attend orientation before you get an interview. Cal-Nev lists an oral exam and no written test.
Can I skip ahead if I already work in line construction?
North West Line has an experienced-entry route for people with at least 3,500 documented hours in line construction, including climbing. It also lets you reapply after one year if you add 300 hours of related work or training.
Is the job growing?
BLS projects employment of power-line installers and repairers to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035. It expects about 10,900 openings a year.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers, Occupational Outlook Handbook
- Washington L&I: Northwest Line Construction Industry JATC apprenticeship standards (WSATC-0487)
- Washington L&I: Snohomish County PUD No. 1 apprenticeship standards (WSATC-0076)
- California Department of Industrial Relations: Cal-Nev Power Lineman JATC program detail
- electrical training ALLIANCE: Locate an Outside Training Center
