Paid Electrician Training in Eastern Washington: IBEW Local 112 Reopens Applications in 2027

I drive rideshare in Austin, about 15 hours a day, seven days a week. Robot cars keep showing up on my routes, so I keep looking at work a bot can’t just roll up and do. Pulling wire and installing power systems in real buildings is that kind of work. This week’s trade pick is a union electrician apprenticeship that puts you on a paid job from day one.

Heads up: this one is in Washington and Oregon, not Texas. It’s the Columbia Basin Electrical Training Alliance, the IBEW Local 112 and NECA Inside Wireman apprenticeship, run out of Kennewick, WA. Applications for 2026 are closed and reopen in 2027, so now is the time to get your paperwork and math ready (Columbia Basin ETA, How to Apply).

How it works

It’s a 4-year Inside Wireman program covering industrial, commercial and residential electrical work. Once you’re accepted and called off the eligibility list, you’re placed with a signatory contractor and start earning your hourly wage while you log 8,000 hours of on-the-job training. About one week out of every six, you’re in class at the training center. Graduates can sit for Washington’s journey-level electrician (01) exam (Columbia Basin ETA, About Apprenticeship).

The work area covers southeast Washington and northeast Oregon, including Benton, Franklin, Yakima, Walla Walla and Kittitas counties in Washington and Umatilla, Union and Morrow counties in Oregon (same source).

What you need (no degree)

Be at least 18 when you complete the application.
A high school diploma, GED or high school equivalency.
One full year of high school algebra (or integrated Math 2, or an equivalent course) with a C or better. If you don’t have it, the JATC points you to a placement test at CBC or an online Tech Math course.
A valid driver’s license, birth certificate and an official, sealed high school transcript.
A qualifying score on the Electrical Training ALLIANCE aptitude test, then an interview with the committee.
The physical ability to climb ladders and scaffolds and work in tight spaces like attics and crawlspaces.

The application is online through TradeSchool and costs a $50 non-refundable fee. After the interview you get an eligibility score and stay on the list for 2 years (Columbia Basin ETA, Application Steps).

What it pays, and what it costs

First-year apprentices start at 40% of journey-level scale, which the JATC lists as $23.20 an hour, plus medical, dental, vision and a pension. You’re not paid during your school weeks, though the JATC says you can be eligible for unemployment then. Books and tuition run about $2,000 to $3,000 per school year, and first-years should plan on about $900 in tools (Columbia Basin ETA, About Apprenticeship).

Nationally, electricians make a median of $30.38 an hour, or $63,190 a year (O*NET, using BLS wage data). That’s the finished trade, not apprentice pay.

Why I’m watching trades like this

Every building is different, and the code-compliant install and repair work happens on site, on ladders, in ditches and in crawlspaces. Goldman Sachs Research says the AI buildout itself is raising demand for electricians and linework (Goldman Sachs, How Will AI Affect the US Labor Market?). That puts this trade at lower near-term risk from AI than routine office work. Lower, not AI-proof. Nothing is.

Me, I’m stacking side hustles and studying day trading to get out of the driver’s seat. Not everybody wants that path. If you want something with your hands where they pay you while you learn, this is worth a look.

See every trade school and apprenticeship I’ve found so far on my Trades page.

Hustle on hustle.