Checked against primary sources 2026-09-07

Registration first, then a program

Minnesota Electrician Apprenticeship: Every DLI Sponsor

Minnesota keeps two things apart that other states blur. The registration is a $14 state record that makes your hours count. The apprenticeship is a program run by an employer or a joint committee, and DLI publishes the list of every one it has registered.

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The registration and the apprenticeship

The registration comes first. Minnesota Statutes 326B.33, subdivision 13 requires unlicensed individuals performing electrical work for a contractor or employer to register with the department, and DLI renews that registration each year against two hours of continuing education and a completed work experience verification form.

An apprenticeship is different. It is a program with a sponsor, an employer, classroom hours and a wage progression, and DLI registers those programs through its apprenticeship division. You can hold the registration without being in an apprenticeship, and the state counts your months either way.

DLI is blunt about how much the programs differ: application processes and requirements vary widely across occupations, as every program has their own entry process. It publishes no statewide minimum hour figure and no statewide wage schedule.

The eight construction electrician sponsors

This is DLI's own list, from its construction electrician apprenticeships page. It is the authoritative answer to which registered electrician apprenticeships exist in Minnesota.

• Associated Builders and Contractors of Minnesota and North Dakota. Multiple locations across both states. Tom Kennedy, 952-941-8693. DLI prints that applications are accepted on a rolling basis through participating employers.
• Design Electric. St. Cloud, Plainview and Hutchinson. Jim Schoon, 320-252-1658. DLI prints no aptitude test required, which makes it the only sponsor on the list without one.
• Electrical Association. 3100 Humboldt Ave. S., Minneapolis. Megan Fink. A $250 application fee paid by the company, and applications are always open.
• IBEW/NECA Twin Ports Electrical JATC. 2230 London Road, Suite 200, Duluth. 218-722-8115. A $26.50 application fee and an aptitude test on the last Monday in February.
• Iron Range Electrical JATC. Same building and same phone number as Twin Ports. A $26.50 application fee and an aptitude test on the third Friday in February.
• Minneapolis Electrical JATC. 13100 Frankfort Parkway Northeast, St. Michael. Trevor Turek, 763-307-8582. A $40 application fee and the GAN aptitude test.
• South Central Minnesota Electrical JATC. 9 80th Street SE, Rochester. Michael Bambrick, 507-529-7721 ext. 301. Eighteen or older, a valid driver's license, a high school diploma or GED, a $40 application fee and an aptitude test.
• St. Paul Electrical JATC. 1330 Conway Street, Suite 150, St. Paul. Timothy Garcia, 651-390-5282. A $45 application fee and an aptitude test.

What the programs actually look like

The three that publish their own numbers are worth reading side by side, because they do not match.

The St. Paul Electrical JATC calls itself a five year 8000 hour apprenticeship program with 240 hours per year of day apprenticeship school. The South Central Minnesota JATC in Rochester is a five year 8000 hour program with 180 hours of classroom training per year. The Minneapolis Electrical JATC says five years and one day a week of related training during the school year, and publishes no on the job hour total and no classroom hour total.

The merit route publishes different numbers again. The Electrical Training Network of Minnesota standards, which is the Electrical Association program, name the occupation as Class A Journeyworker Electrician over 8,000 hours across four years, with a minimum of 144 hours of related instruction per year.

The one published wage progression

Only one Minnesota electrical apprenticeship standard we could read prints a wage schedule. The Electrical Training Network of Minnesota standards set the first 2000 hours at 40 percent of the journeyworker rate, hours 2001 to 3500 at 50 percent, 3501 to 5000 at 60 percent, 5001 to 6500 at 70 percent and 6501 to 8000 at 83 percent.

That is one program. Do not read it as a statewide figure, because DLI publishes none.

Limited energy and utility

DLI keeps two other lists. On the limited energy side, which feeds the power limited technician license, there is one sponsor: Minnesota Statewide Limited Energy in Fridley. DLI prints an aptitude test on high school level algebra and reading comprehension, applications year round with a $40 fee, processing of one to three weeks, and that applicants may be hired and begin work before the application process is complete.

On the utility side, which feeds the lineman license, DLI names the Minnesota Rural Electric Association and Xcel Energy. MREA asks for 18 or older, the ability to work outside in all weather and at heights, and availability on an on call basis including overnights, weekends and holidays.

How school time interacts with all of this

A registered apprenticeship and a college diploma are not the same lever. The DLI experience rule allows a maximum of one year of experience credit for the successful completion of a two year, post high school electrical course approved by the board.

DLI publishes no list of approved two year programs, so the evidence is each college's own statement. Hennepin Technical College, St. Cloud Technical and Community College, Dakota County Technical College and Anoka Technical College each publish one, and Lake Superior College says its diploma eliminates one year of apprenticeship requirements in Minnesota.

Questions people ask

How many electrician apprenticeships are there in Minnesota?

DLI names eight registered construction electrician sponsors, one limited energy sponsor and two utility sponsors. That list on the DLI apprenticeship pages is the state's own answer.

How long is an electrician apprenticeship in Minnesota?

It depends on the sponsor. St. Paul and South Central Minnesota both publish five years and 8,000 hours, Minneapolis publishes five years without an hour total, and the Electrical Training Network of Minnesota standards run 8,000 hours over four years.

What does it cost to apply for an electrical apprenticeship in Minnesota?

Application fees on the DLI list run from $26.50 at the two Duluth programs to $40 at Minneapolis and Rochester, $45 at St. Paul and $250 at the Electrical Association, which is paid by the company.

Do I need to register with the state as well as joining a program?

Yes. Minnesota Statutes 326B.33, subdivision 13 requires unlicensed individuals performing electrical work for a contractor or employer to register with the department, and that registration is what carries your accrued work experience.

Which Minnesota apprenticeship has no aptitude test?

Design Electric, which DLI lists for St. Cloud, Plainview and Hutchinson. DLI prints no aptitude test required beside that sponsor and prints an aptitude test requirement beside the others.

What do Minnesota electrical apprentices get paid?

The only published wage progression we could read is the Electrical Training Network of Minnesota standards, running from 40 percent of the journeyworker rate in the first 2000 hours to 83 percent from 6501 to 8000 hours. DLI publishes no statewide schedule.

What this page cites

• DLI construction electrician apprenticeships The state list of eight registered sponsors, with addresses, contacts, fees and aptitude test dates. source
• DLI limited energy electrician apprenticeships Names Minnesota Statewide Limited Energy and prints its aptitude test, fee and processing time. source
• DLI utility apprenticeships Names the Minnesota Rural Electric Association and Xcel Energy with their entry requirements. source
• DLI become an apprentice States that application processes and requirements vary widely across occupations and publishes no statewide hour figure. source
• Electrical Training Network of Minnesota standards The 8,000 hour term, the 144 hours of related instruction and the only published wage progression. source
• Minnesota Statutes 326B.33 Subdivision 13 requires the registration that sits underneath any apprenticeship. source