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Incentives to Train as an Electrician
With the job market on the rise for electricians, now is a good time to consider this trade as your new career.
It’s expected that the demand for electricians in Georgia will rise by 17.4% in the upcoming years.
Even their salary is a good one, electricians earning on average $46,272 per year in Georgia, even though it’s a bit lower than the national average of $47,951 per year for these tradespeople.
The highest salaries are in Georgia of $52,728 per year and the country-wide of $54,640 annually.
Annual Salary Range:Average Salary of Electricians in Georgia
City Name | Salary |
---|---|
Atlanta | $47,226 |
Augusta | $44,344 |
Columbus | $43,322 |
Savannah | $44,824 |
Athens | $46,891 |
Macon | $44,540 |
Roswell | $47,047 |
Albany | $44,077 |
Marietta | $47,092 |
Warner Robins | $44,406 |
Becoming an Electrician
The Construction Industry Licensing Board is the institution awarding licenses for electricians, and in Georgia, there are fewer steps than in other states.
- Being an apprentice.
- Become a journeyman.
- Become an independent electrical contractor
Apprenticeship Period
This is when you must gain the knowledge of an electrician from training on the job and by attending classroom education.
You must accumulate 8,000 of work experience (or about 5 years) and spend 180 hours in a school.
You can either enroll in a technical school, earn a degree and then find an entry-level position or enroll in an apprenticeship program, though you still have to attend a school.
The 2nd option, however, offers full time and paid employment.
Technical schools
Technical or vocational schools offer comprehensive education and the possibility of earning a degree or diploma, and you can also further your education this way.
There are many subjects you’ll be studying, such as:
- Residential wiring
- Commercial and industrial wiring
- Electrical theory
- Advanced electrical theory
- Applied math
- OHM’s law
- Safety/CPR/first aid
- Transformers/Generators
- The National Electric Code
- Electrical motors
- Reading blueprints
- Line logic
- Programmable controllers
Since your education will be completed, you’ll have an easy time finding a job for the required amount of hours, and some of the schools even facilitate the process.
Both internships and apprenticeships programs are available through both unions and non-unions.
These are some of the firms willing to employ apprentices:
- Metro Electrical Contractors (Atlanta)
- D&N Electric Company (East Point)
- Bettis Electric (Roswell)
40 Electrician Schools in Georgia
School Name | Address |
---|---|
Albany Tech | 1704 South Slappey Boulevard, Albany, GA 31701 |
Athens Tech | 800 US-29, Athens, GA 30601 |
Atlanta Tech | 1560 Metro Parkway Southwest, Atlanta, GA 30310 |
Bainbridge State College | 2500 East Shotwell Street, Bainbridge, GA 39819 |
Central Georgia Tech - Macon | 3300 Macon Tech Drive, Macon, GA 31206 |
Chattahoochee Technical College — North Metro Campus | 5198 Ross Road, Acworth, GA 30102 |
Central Georgia Tech College — Putnam County Center | 580 James Marshall Bypass, Eatonton, GA 31024 |
Coastal Pines Tech — Alma | 101 West 17th Street, Alma, GA 31510 |
Coastal Pines Tech — Baxley Campus | 1334 Golden Isles Parkway West, Baxley, GA 31513 |
Coastal Pines Tech — Camden Campus | 8001 The Lakes Boulevard, Kingsland, GA 31548 |
Coastal Pines Tech — Golden Isles | 4404 Glynco Parkway, Brunswick, GA 31525 |
Coastal Pines Tech — Hazlehurst Campus | 677 Douglas Highway, Hazlehurst, GA 31539 |
Coastal Pines Tech — Jesup Campus | 1777 W. Cherry, Jesup, GA 31545 |
Coastal Pines Tech -Waycross | 1701 Carswell Ave, Waycross, GA 31503 |
Columbus Tech | 928 Manchester Expressway, Columbus, GA 31904 |
Georgia Northwestern Tech — Floyd County Campus | One Maurice Culberson Drive, Rome, GA 30161 |
Georgia Northwestern Tech — Walker County Campus | 265 Bicentennial Trail, Rock Spring, GA 30739 |
Georgia Northwestern Tech — Whitfield Murray Campus | 2310 Maddox Chapel Road, Dalton, GA 30721 |
Georgia Piedmont Tech | 495 N Indian Creek Dr, Clarkston, GA 30021 |
IEC Atlanta Chapter | 4500 Winters Chapel Road, Atlanta, GA 30360 |
JATC of Albany | 1900 Clark Ave, Albany, GA 31705 |
JATC of Atlanta | 6601 Bay Circle, Norcross, GA 30071 |
JATC of Augusta | 1248 Reynolds Street, Augusta, GA 30901 |
JATC of Macon | 1046 Patterson Street, Macon, GA 31204 |
JATC of Savannah | 1526 Dean Forest Rd, Savannah, GA 31408 |
Lanier Tech | 2535 Lanier Tech Dr, Gainesville, GA 30507 |
Lincoln College of Technology | 2359 Windy Hill Road, Marietta, GA 30067 |
North Georgia Tech — Clarkesville Campus | 1500 Highway 197 North, Clarksville, GA 30523 |
Oconee Fall Line Tech — South Campus | 560 Pinehill Road, Dublin, GA 31021 |
Ogeechee Tech | One Joseph E. Kennedy Boulevard, Statesboro, GA 30458 |
Savannah Tech | 5717 White Bluff, Savannah, GA 31405 |
Southern Crescent Tech | 300 Lakemont Drive, McDonough, GA 30253 |
Southern Regional Tech — Thomasville Campus | 15689 US Hwy 19 N, Thomasville, GA 31792 |
West Georgia Tech — Adamson Square | 401 Adamson Square, Carrollton, GA 30117 |
West Georgia Tech — Carroll Campus | 997 South Highway 16, Carrollton, GA 30116 |
West Georgia Tech — Coweta Campus — Central Educational Center | 160 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, Newnan, GA 30263 |
West Georgia Tech — Douglas Campus | 4600 Timber Ridge Drive, Douglasville, GA 30135 |
West Georgia Tech — Greenville Site | Workforce Development Center 17529 Roosevelt Highway, Greenville, GA 30222 |
West Georgia Tech — Murphy Campus | 176 Murphy Campus Boulevard Waco, GA 30182 |
Wiregrass Georgia Tech | 0929, 4089 Val Tech Rd, Valdosta, GA 31602 |
Apprenticeship Programs
Those interested in going directly into an apprenticeship program can contact their local Joint Apprenticeship & Training Committee (JATC), though these are for those who want to join a union.
A non-union apprenticeship means a local electrician will take care of your education and you’ll usually have to find someone willing to hire an apprentice, on your own.
Non-union trade organizations usually have listings for the available jobs.
Our list of schools also includes the unions and non-unions you can contact for enrollment.
Becoming a Journeyman
In most states, electricians must pass an exam to become journeymen but this is not the case for Georgia.
This means that once you finish your apprenticeship you’re allowed to work on your own, without supervision and without a license.
You can also apply directly for an independent electrical contractor license without extra experience.
Even though this license is not mandatory, some employers prefer their electricians to have a certificate that meets the national regulations.
This certificate can be obtained if you complete your apprenticeship through IEC, ABC or IBEW, as well.
You might have to take the journeyman exam if you want to work in a different state and the above certificate is not enough.
Obtain the Independent Electrical Contractor License
This license is awarded by the Georgia Construction Industry Licensing Board.
You can be either a Class I or a Class II independent electrical contractor, and either one allows you to offer your services throughout Georgia.
Differences:
- Class I electricians can only work on single-phase electrical installations that are maximum 200 amperes at the service drop or the service lateral.
- Class II has no restrictions.
Requirements:
- Fill out the application
- Be at least 21 years old
- Prove an experience of at least 4 years
- Score at least 70% on the test
- Provide at least 1 reference from a licensed electrical contractor, and 2 more.
If you want to get the Class II license, you must also prove you have experience with systems of over 200 amperes.
All references must be notarized.
If your application is approved, you’ll be notified some 45 days after you applied and then you’ll be able to schedule your exam.
The exam bulletin has exact instructions on how to schedule your exam as the questions in the test.
These are the general subjects for the Class I electrician exam:
- Regulations, Laws, and Administrative Functions – 30 questions
- Interior Electrical Systems – 30 questions
- Electrical Controls and Devices – 22 questions
- Basic Electrical Circuits – 21 questions
- Special Equipment, Conditions, and Locations – 21 questions
- Pre-test questions – 15 questions
- DC and DC Rotating Equipment – 9 questions
- Transformers – 7 questions
- Total of 155 questions
These are the general subjects for the Class II electrician exam:
- Regulations, Laws, and Administrative Functions – 30 questions
- Interior Electrical Systems – 23 questions
- Pre-test questions – 22 questions
- Transformers – 21 questions
- Special Equipment, Conditions, and Locations – 21 questions
- Basic Electrical Circuits – 14 questions
- DC and DC Rotating Equipment – 16 questions
- Electrical Controls and Devices – 15 questions
- Total questions – 162 questions
Regardless of which license you get, it must be renewed every 2 years and to do this you also have to continue your education.
You can continue your education either with JATCs or other local unions, and all you need is 4 hours per year.