A Legacy Built On Craft, Brotherhood And Excellence

The IBEW

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers was founded in 1891 to protect electrical workers from dangerous conditions and poverty wages during the early age of electricity. From a handful of linemen in St. Louis, the IBEW has grown into one of the most respected trade unions in North America, representing nearly 900,000 active members and retirees across the U.S. and Canada.

From the beginning, the IBEW understood that a skilled workforce was the backbone of a safe, productive electrical industry. This commitment to training lives on in every JATC across the country, including right here in Toledo.

The Registered Apprenticeship Program

When Congress passed the National Apprenticeship Act in 1935 — the Fitzgerald Act — it formalized what the trades had been doing for decades: pairing structured jobsite training with rigorous technical instruction. Unlike certificate programs, a Registered Apprenticeship is federally recognized and monitored by the U.S. Department of Labor. Apprentices earn a wage from day one, receive regular raises and graduate with journeyman status — all without student debt.

Nearly A Century Of Excellence

The Toledo Electrical JATC was established in 1939, among the first apprenticeship programs in Ohio registered with the U.S. Department of Labor. Built on a joint labor-management structure governed by the Taft-Hartley Act, equal numbers of labor and management trustees administer the Joint Training Trust, reinvesting every dollar into training.

In the 1960s, training focused on a single inside program serving roughly 600 craftworkers. Today TEJATC is a multi-track institution providing apprentice and journeyman upgrade training to more than 1,000 wiremen across the region.