Requirements for a Journeyman Electrician License

Due to the importance of safety when it comes to electrical systems, electricians usually have to be certified. This certification is to ensure that the worker will hold to a certain standard of work. They start out as apprentices where they learn the basics of the trade, then move up to journeymen. A journeyman electrician is expected to have a full understanding of the most important aspects of the electrical trade.

The apprenticeship stage

Apprentices will be expected to have a GED before they can start work at a building site. The training is mostly conducted on the job, though some apprentices may have vocational or technical school certificates in electrical work. If that is so they may start out doing more complex work and with more responsibility than others without that advantage. Their work will be performed under the supervision and guidance of a journeyman electrician. While the requirements for journeyman certification varies between states, in most cases it takes about 2,000 hours of on-the-job training for an apprentice to become certified.  The certification will either be statewide or restricted to their particular location as many are valid only for a specific city or county area. Once certified the apprentice becomes a journeyman who will work under the supervision of a master electrician.

The licensing exam

The test-taker will be expected to have a comprehensive knowledge of the National Electrical Code, which contain guidelines and standards for electrical installation. They will also be expected to have an understanding of electrical theory, which an understanding how electricity and electrical equipment work. The third aspect of most state and local licensing exams is the understanding of the local laws and regulations with regard to electrical installation.