Electrician Trainee

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• What is an Electrician Trainee?
• Who needs to enroll as an Electrician Trainee?
• What is the difference between a Trainee and an Apprentice?
• Is WECA’s Electrician Trainee Program a state-approved program?
• How do I enroll as an Electrician Trainee?
• Can I enroll online as an Electrician Trainee?
• How do I renew my Electrician Trainee registration with the state?
• Electrician Trainee Program Course Catalog
• Electrician Trainee Student Handbook
• What is the penalty if uncertified electricians continue to work after the deadline?
• Visit the DAS webpage to see more Frequently Asked Questions about certification

An electrician trainee is an electrician who is enrolled with an approved Electrical Trainee Education Provider and who is also registered with the State as an Electrician Trainee. Electrician Trainees are not Apprentices; they follow a similar educational path to becoming a journeyman electrician but are not considered an Apprentice and when employed on Public Works projects must be paid the Journeyman Rate of Pay. Click here for more details on the differences between an Apprentice and a Trainee.

In order to legally work as an electrician in California after January 1, 2006, an electrician must either have passed the state exam or be registered with the state and enrolled in a state-approved electrician trainee program, or indentured in a state-approved apprenticeship program. In addition to registering with the state, trainees must also be attending courses with a State-approved school or training provider, such as WECA.

Click here to download a copy of the WECA Electrician Trainee Student Handbook in PDF format

California’s electrician certification law requires anyone performing work in the field for a C-10 electrical contractor to fall into one of these three categories:

• certified journeyman, or

• indentured apprentice, or

• an electrician trainee registered with the state AND attending training with a state-approved training provider, such as WECA.

Effective January 1, 2006, the only persons who may perform work as general electricians, residential electricians or fire/life safety technicians for contractors licensed as Class C-10 electrical contractors and make electrical connections over 100 volt-ampers are those who have been certified by the State of California, or are an apprentice registered in a state-approved electrical apprenticeship program, or a worker who has registered as an electrician trainee and is enrolled in a state-approved electrician trainee program.

As of January 1, 2006, an electrician must either have passed the state exam or be registered with the state and enrolled in a state-approved electrician trainee program, or indentured in a state-approved apprenticeship program, in order to continue working legally in the state of California.

The deadline to become certified for the two additional classifications, voice-data-video technician and non-residential technician, was January 1, 2007.

By enrolling in WECA's ET Program, you are committing to your continuing education and developing your skills for your career in the electrical trade.

An apprentice is someone indentured in a state-approved apprenticeship training program. Contractors are required to employ apprentices on public works projects at a ratio of one apprentice hour worked for every five journeyman hours worked. Click here for details on apprentice dispatch requirements on public projects.

Apprentices and Journeymen are the only classes of pay on a public works project. Even an electrician who is not certified must be paid journeyman wages on a public project unless he or she is an apprentice indentured with a state-approved apprentice program like WECA's. If you’re not sure if you are an apprentice, click here to search the State’s apprentice database.

WECA offers three electrician apprentice programs: Commercial, Residential and Voice-Data-Video (VDV) & Fire/Life/Safety (FLS). For more information on how apprenticeship rules work, or to inquire about how to become WECA apprentice, please contact us at info@goweca.com or (877) 444-9322.

A trainee is an electrician who is not yet a certified journeyman and not indentured in an apprenticeship program. California’s electrician certification law requires anyone performing work in the field for a C-10 electrical contractor to fall into one of these three categories: certified journeyman, indentured apprentice, or an electrician trainee registered with the state. If you work for a C-10 contractor and are performing electrical work in the field and DO NOT fall into one of these three categories, that is a violation of the electrician certification law and your contractor employer runs the risk of incurring fines and penalties from the CSLB, up to and including suspension of the contractor’s license. Click here to check the certification status of a journeymen and/or trainee.

In addition to registering with the state, trainees must also be attending courses with a State-approved school or training provider, such as WECA.

Is WECA’s Electrician Trainee Program a state-approved program?

Yes, WECA’s Electrician Trainee Program a state-approved program.

PLEASE NOTE: The Electrician Trainee Program enrollment fee and initial class tuition are non-refundable and do not qualify for refunds under the WECA refund policy. See the Enrollment Form for additional information.

To enroll in the ET Program and participate in WECA's training programs, complete the following steps:

1. Enroll in the WECA ET Program

• Select a course you will be able to complete within six months.
• Complete and submit the WECA Electrician Trainee (ET) Program Enrollment and Initial Class Sign-up Form. Click here to download this form.
• Submit the $25 program enrollment fee PLUS the tuition for the class you selected with the completed program enrollment AND class sign-up form to WECA.
• WECA will send you a confirmation letter acknowledging that you are enrolled in WECA's state-approved ET Program.
• Keep a copy of this letter with you as proof that you are enrolled in a state-approved ET program.
• Complete your selected training program course within 3 months of enrollment and sign up for and complete a course every 3 months thereafter.

• Print and complete a copy of State's ET Application form. Click here to download a State Electrician Trainee registration form. WECA's "School Number" is 108.
• Staple a copy of the WECA confirmation letter to the complete State form and return both to the State of California with a check or money order for the State's $25 registration fee. Once this step is completed you will be registered with the State as an ET and have proof that your are enrolled in a state-approved ET program.
• The State will then send you a letter confirming that you are a state-registered ET. This letter will also include your "T" number.

• Click here for information on Electrician Trainee course textbooks

  
  

• Print and complete a copy of State's ET Application form. Click here to download a State Electrician Trainee registration form. WECA's "School Number" is 108.
• Staple a copy of the WECA confirmation letter to the complete State form and return both to the State of California with a check or money order for the State's $25 registration fee.
• The State will then send you a letter confirming that you are a state-registered ET. This letter will also include your "T" number. Once you receive this letter you will have proof that you are registered with the State as an ET and that your are enrolled in a state-approved ET program.

• See How to Order Your Electrician Trainee Textbooks

  
  

The State of California requires annual ET Application Renewal for all Electrician Trainees until you have the required work experience hours (4,800 hours for Residential electricians and 8,000 hours for General electricians) and have applied for and passed the State Electrical Certification Exam. The annual ET renewal does NOT require a fee.

To check the expiration date of your State ET registration, click here to look up your expiration date on the State DAS website by entering your State electrician trainee registration/tracking ("T") number on the DAS website. If you do not know your T-number, scroll down on the DAS page for instructions on how to look up your T-number.

The following information is required to accompany the State Application for ET Renewal:

• Copies of transcripts or class-completion documents showing Approved Curriculum classwork completed during the prior year; and
• The name of the Electrician Trainee’s current employer in the electrical industry, and
• The amount of on-the-job experience acquired during the prior year.
• Within 90 days of receipt of a renewal application, the State DAS shall inform the applicant in writing whether the registration has been renewed or the application is deficient, or that the applicant has submitted insufficient proof of further classwork or experience, in which case, the DAS shall inform the applicant of the information or documentation still required and the reason for the request.

If you have not yet completed any Approved Curriculum class work within the past three months, click here to view the Electrician Trainee Program Course Catalog and sign up for a class today.

View the course catalog for WECAs Electrician Trainee Program.

If an employee of a C-10 contractor is performing electrical work in the field and DOES NOT fall into one of the three categories noted above (certified journeyman electrician, indentured apprentice or registered electrician trainee), that is a violation of the electrician certification law and the contractors is subject to fines and penalties from the Contractors State License Board, up to and including suspension of the contractor’s license. Click here to check the certification status of a journeymen and/or trainee.

The penalties for electrician noted in the California Code of Regulations include:

• “Anyone who displays a certificate, or otherwise claims to be certified, who is not certified will be prohibited from taking the certification test for 5 years.”
• “An employer who violates the 1 to 1 ratio of one certified electrician supervising one electrician trainee may be barred from employing electrician trainees in the future.”

  
  

Click here to see the Division of Apprenticeship Standards' (DAS) list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) about certification.

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