Become a Journeyman Lineman.

NEAT runs the outside lineman apprenticeship for 12 IBEW locals and 43 contractors, from Maine to the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Apprentices start with Boot Camp, then work paid on line crews for at least 7,000 hours while completing 18 online units and hands-on classes. The program takes about 3½ years.

Applications open the first Monday of each month at 8:00 a.m. ET. Each area takes 30.
Next window: the first Monday.

60%

Starting pay, as a share of the journeyman rate, up 5% each period

7,000

Minimum hours of paid on-the-job training

3½ yrs

Approximate length of the program

College semester hours through the American Council on Education

What outside linemen build

Linemen build and maintain the power system from the ground up: foundations, poles and towers, overhead and underground lines, substations, street lights and traffic signals. Apprentices learn all of it, on all kinds of terrain and in all kinds of weather, including work on circuits energized from 110 volts to 34,500 volts and higher.

Climb

Wood poles up to 125 ft, steel poles up to 200 ft and steel towers up to 500 ft.

Dig & set

Holes for poles, anchors and foundations, trenches for underground systems and concrete tower foundations.

Erect & string

Assemble and erect towers, then string, splice, sag and deadend wire and cable.

Energized work

Install transformers and replace poles, conductors and insulators without interrupting service.

Substations & lighting

Build substations and install street lights, traffic signals and customer service lines.

Storm repair

Restore electric facilities during storms, when crews are needed most.

Training also covers welding, heavy equipment operation, surveying with a transit, rigging, first aid and CPR.

From application to Journeyman Lineman

Every apprentice goes through the same eight steps. The waiting list is ranked by interview score, so the application date does not set your place in line.

Costs to plan for

$25

Aptitude testing fee, paid when you apply

$545

First-year online access and course material

$1k to $3k

Hand tools for your first job and climbing gear, bought around Boot Camp

Unpaid

Boot Camp weekends. Pay starts when you are placed on a crew.

Apply online

The application opens the first Monday of each month at 8:00 a.m. ET and closes when your area reaches 30. Upload your driver’s license, CDL and any DD-214, line school transcripts or certifications.

Aptitude test

Math and reading comprehension, given once a month and scored 0 to 9 by an outside company. A 3 passes. Below 3, you wait six months to reapply.

Committee interview

Power line contractors and local union members each score you from 0 to 100. Send your resume and certifications to the NEAT office well before the interview so they can be reviewed.

Waiting list

You are ranked by your average interview score on a confidential list for up to two years. When your area needs apprentices, NEAT calls a group of 20 to 30 from the top.

Screening

When called, you have 24 hours to respond and complete a DOT physical and drug test, followed by criminal background and motor vehicle record checks.

Boot Camp

6 to 8 consecutive weekends. The first 40 hours are climbing, ending in a climbing test you must pass. Then OSHA T&D, Rigger Signalperson and knot tying, plus your NEAT email account and online course material.

Go to work

NEAT places you with a contractor as soon as possible. Recently, most apprentices have started before Boot Camp ended or shortly after. Pay starts at 60% of the journeyman rate.

Journeyman Lineman

Complete 7,000 or more hours of OJT and all 18 units and tests, then take the Journeyman Lineman Exam through your Area Coordinator. The IBEW accepts graduates as Journeyman Linemen.

Field, class and online

The three run side by side for the full 3½ years, under the national curriculum from the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee.

On-the-job training

Paid work on contractor crews under Journey Level Workers. Your monthly report of hours, type of work and a signed performance evaluation is due by the 20th of the following month.

Practical training classes

In person, usually on Saturdays with some Sundays, 8 to 10 hours, in classrooms and de-energized outdoor yards. Schedules come from your area’s training sub-committee.

Online coursework

Each unit has 16 chapters of 15 to 50 questions. Pass every chapter and each supervised unit test with a 70 or better, at your own pace within set deadlines.

Graduates can receive 27 semester hours of college credit through the American Council on Education. NEAT compares the apprenticeship to the technical program of a two-year community college.

Paid from your first day on a crew

Apprentices start at 60% of their local’s journeyman rate and move up 5% each period through the 7th, then to full journeyman scale.

601st

652nd

703rd

754th

805th

856th

907th

100JL

Hourly rates by local

Per hour

Hourly wage rates by IBEW local
Local	1st period	7th period	Journeyman
3	$33.60	$50.40	$56.00
42	$31.20	$46.80	$52.00
104 North ME, NH, VT	$25.00	$37.50	$41.67
104 South MA, RI	$30.12	$45.18	$50.20
126	$33.76	$50.63	$56.26
New Jersey	$33.50	$50.25	$55.83
1049	$36.73	$55.09	$61.21
1249	$32.82	$49.23	$54.70
1319	$36.43	$54.65	$60.72

Wage rates as posted on NEAT’s pay schedule. The 2nd through 6th periods fall in between at 65% to 85%. Full schedule

Lineman apprenticeship requirements

The work is physically and mentally demanding, done at heights, in confined spaces and around high voltage, where mistakes can cause severe injury or death. Every applicant needs to:

Documents decide eligibility

A missing document or an expired license, CDL or CDL permit makes an application ineligible, and it cannot move forward. Files can be PDF, Word, JPG, PNG, HEIC or TIF. NEAT sends all correspondence by email, so check all of your inboxes.

Inside the lineman apprenticeship

Filmed at the September 2026 Boot Camp and on location in Barrington and Epping, New Hampshire.

Video

NEAT overview

Colin

Interview

Hunter

Interview

Jason Lauze

Interview

Run jointly by the IBEW and NECA since 1968

NEAT was created in 1968 by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the National Electrical Contractors Association to train Union Journeyman Linemen for the outside construction industry. Its Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee includes representatives of the IBEW and the Northeastern Line Constructors Chapter of NECA.

The lineman apprenticeship follows the national program guided by the electrical training ALLIANCE, is registered with and monitored by the U.S. Department of Labor, and also runs upgrade training for IBEW Journey Level Workers.

Affiliated IBEW locals

Affiliated contractors

States in NEAT’s jurisdiction

100s

New apprentices added each year