Wisconsin Journeyman PrepLicense, exam and code, in one place Start the free practice testPractice exam

Checked against primary sources 2026-09-07

The registration and the contract

Wisconsin Electrical Apprentice: Contract and Sponsors

Wisconsin has an apprentice registration with DSPS and a separate apprentice contract with the Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards, and you need the contract before you can get the registration. This page separates the two and gives what each sponsor publishes.

Test yourself: thirty free questions, timed

On this page
  1. Two things, not one
  2. What the registration lets you do
  3. Who registers apprenticeship in Wisconsin
  4. Three official answers to how long it takes
  5. The two statewide sponsor networks
  6. Where the training centers are
  7. How many apprentices there are
  8. Questions people ask
  9. What this page cites

Two things, not one

The registration is a DSPS credential. SPS 305.46 says a person applying for an electrical apprentice, an industrial electrical apprentice or a residential electrical apprentice registration "shall be entered into an electrical apprentice contract recognized under ch. 106, Stats." Renewal asks for the same evidence again.

The contract is a Department of Workforce Development matter. Form 3102 asks you to "Upload a copy of the apprenticeship contract or proof of electrical indentureship" from the Wisconsin Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards.

So the order runs sponsor first, contract second, DSPS registration third. There is no exam at any point in that sequence.

What the registration lets you do

DSPS says an electrical apprentice "shall perform electrical wiring activities under the general supervision of a person who holds a license as a licensed Master Electrician or a registration as a Registered Master Electrician."

Compare that with the registered electrician, who works under the direct supervision of a licensed master or journeyman electrician. The apprentice sits under general supervision and a master, which is a different arrangement, and it is one reason the two credentials are not interchangeable.

The residential apprentice works under a residential master electrician on dwellings, and the industrial apprentice is limited to the employer's own facilities.

Who registers apprenticeship in Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards, inside the Department of Workforce Development, phone (608) 266-3131. DWD describes apprenticeship as "an 'earn while you learn' program providing on-the-job training and related instruction," and runs Registered Apprenticeship, Youth Apprenticeship and Certified Pre-Apprenticeship.

DWD's own Construction Electrician occupation standard gives program length as "~4 Years," on-the-job hours as "8,000 Hours" and paid related instruction as "400 Hours." It also requires first aid and CPR certification, OSHA 10 or 30 for Construction, and an eight hour transition-to-trainer course, and notes that "Some sponsors may require additional Unpaid Related Instruction."

DWD publishes a separate Industrial Electrician apprenticeship occupation page, which is the route behind the industrial journeyman license.

Three official answers to how long it takes

This is the number to be careful with, because three state and sponsor sources give three answers.

None of them is wrong. Three years is the statutory floor DSPS will accept, four is the workforce agency's occupation standard, and five is what the committees actually run. Whenever you see a single number quoted, ask which of the three it is.

The two statewide sponsor networks

Wisconsin NECA-IBEW Electrical Apprenticeship and Training describes itself as "a nonprofit organization that is jointly sponsored by the Wisconsin Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association and Local Unions 14, 127, 158, 159, 388, 430, 577 and 890 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers." Its office is at 2730 Dairy Drive, Suite 102, Madison, WI 53718, 608.221.3321.

Its Construction (Inside) Electrician program runs "five years and not less than 8,000 hours of On the Job Training including additional classroom related instruction," and the Voice-Data-Video Installer-Technician program is a "three-year apprenticeship program." Paid classroom instruction is during the day and covers drafting, blueprint reading, mathematics and applied physics, with additional unpaid instruction on the apprentice's own time. On money, the program says "you can expect to earn between $80,000 and $150,000 during the course of your apprenticeship," which is a whole-of-apprenticeship figure rather than a yearly wage.

Note that IBEW Local 494, the Milwaukee local, is not in that sponsor list. Milwaukee runs its own institute, covered on the Milwaukee page.

Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin is the non-union sponsor. Its electrical apprenticeship is "5 YEARS," with related instruction delivered at the ABC Training Center in Madison, BTC in Janesville, FVTC in Appleton, MPTC in Fond du Lac and West Bend, MSTC in Marshfield, WCTC in Pewaukee and WTC in La Crosse. Published entry requirements are a high school diploma, GED or transcript verification, a driver's license or transportation plan, test score minimums of "Next Generation Accuplacer Reading: 239, Arithmetic: 237, or ACT Reading/Math: 15," and one consecutive year of standard pre-college algebra or equivalent.

Where the training centers are

The Wisconsin Building Trades Council publishes an electrical training center map. The centers it names are IBEW Local 494 MeJAC at 6300 W Layton Ave, Greenfield; IBEW Local 14 at Fall Creek and at 3460 Losey Blvd South, La Crosse; IBEW Locals 127 and 430 at Gateway Tech College, 1001 S Main St, Racine; IBEW Local 890 at 1900 Reuther Way, Janesville; IBEW Local 158 at 2970 Green Brier Road, Green Bay; IBEW Local 159 at 5303 Fen Oak Drive, Madison; and the Wisconsin NECA-IBEW office in Madison.

Our city pages carry the committee that covers each area, its published hours and its entry list. Start with Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay or Appleton.

How many apprentices there are

DWD's press release of February 19, 2026 gives statewide participation for 2025 as "18,524 apprentices across a record of more than 3,095 employers," a fourth straight record year, with Youth Apprenticeship enrollment of "11,344 high school juniors and seniors" in the 2024-2025 school year.

No electrician specific figure is broken out in that release, and DWD's apprenticeship statistics pages did not load for us. The nearest published proxy is the DSPS count file, which shows 2,718 active in state Electrical Apprentice registrations as of 06/01/2026, alongside 4 active in state Residential Electrical Apprentice registrations.

Questions people ask

Do I need an apprentice registration to work in Wisconsin?

Not necessarily. The registered electrician enrollment is a separate entry credential with no contract requirement. The apprentice registration exists for people who are indentured under an apprentice contract recognized under ch. 106, Stats.

How do I get an electrical apprentice contract in Wisconsin?

Through a sponsor, then the Wisconsin Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards inside the Department of Workforce Development. Form 3102 asks you to upload the contract or proof of electrical indentureship when you register with DSPS.

How long is a Wisconsin electrical apprenticeship?

It depends which source you read. SPS 305.44(3) accepts at least three years, DWD publishes about four years, and the union committees run five years with 8,000 hours on the job.

What does the apprentice registration cost?

Table 305.02 sets a $15 application fee and a $15 registration fee. The registration runs one year from the date of issuance and the renewal fee is $15.00.

Does an apprentice owe continuing education?

No continuing education requirement is specified in SPS 305.46 for the apprentice registration. Renewal instead asks for evidence that you are still entered into an apprentice contract.

Is an apprenticeship paid?

DWD calls apprenticeship an earn while you learn program with on-the-job training and related instruction. Wisconsin NECA-IBEW says paid classroom instruction is typically during the day and that additional unpaid classroom instruction is required on the apprentice's own time.

Put it to the test

Thirty free questions, timed, with the working shown

Every miss comes back with the arithmetic worked out and the code section named, so you learn the trap and not just the answer. No account.

Start the free practice testSee the $79 question bank

All questions here are original. They are not actual exam questions, and no question bank can promise you a pass.

What this page cites

If your book is the other edition

The 2023 to 2026 section crosswalk maps every section that moved, both directions, $29 once.

NEC and National Electrical Code are registered trademarks of the National Fire Protection Association.

Trojan Digital Marketing is an independent company. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NFPA, the Department of Safety and Professional Services, Pearson VUE, or any licensing authority, school or union.

The Wisconsin examinations are open book, and the allowance is a generous one: the code book or handbook, one binder holding SPS 305, SPS 316 and printed notes, and up to two bound reference books. The DSPS exam pages still name the 2017 National Electrical Code, DSPS expects its exam updates to be completed by 1 October 2026, and the trade press reports the questions changing from that date. The field code, SPS 316, went to the 2023 edition on 1 September 2026, so for one month the book you work to and the book you test on are different.

All practice questions are original. They are not actual exam questions.

Built and maintained by Jeff Clerisier, Trojan Digital Marketing.

Every rule here is cited to the section it comes from, and corrections are logged in public with the date. This is study material rather than electrical advice, and it does not replace your own code book or your inspector.

Free, weekly

One exam question a week, worked all the way through

One original question in the Wisconsin style, the arithmetic worked, the code section named, and a short note whenever a Wisconsin licensing or code rule moves. Unsubscribe in one click.