Before your first day, get five things in writing: where to report, the start time, your foreman's name and number, the company office number and your training director's number. Also ask the call-in rule for a day you cannot work. At South Texas JATC, if the company has no policy, you must contact the employer's office or jobsite as soon as possible but no later than 7:00 AM that day.
Checked against official program and agency pages on October 16, 2026. Rules differ by program and employer, so your own program's documents come first.
Who assigns you and who supervises you
- The job assignment. In JATC programs the training center gives the assignment. North Texas JATC says apprentices must accept job assignments as directed. South Texas says training assignments are issued at the training center.
- The schedule. North Texas says an apprentice must work the jobsite schedule, including scheduled overtime.
- Your supervisor on site. TDLR licenses an apprentice to do electrical work under the general supervision of a master electrician; the page also lists journeyman and residential wireman supervisors. South Texas says the journeyman and foreman who direct your work take the role of on-the-job trainer.
- When there is a problem. North Texas tells apprentices with a problem on the job or in school to contact the training director by phone, letter or in person.
No program page we read describes a first-day jobsite check-in, so ask your employer what to bring and where to go.
Free tool: your day-one contact card
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Starting your first year as a Texas apprentice? The US$19 Texas First-Year Electrical Apprentice Kit gives you printable pages for the first months on the job: a tool-check card, a who-to-ask list with a short stop-and-ask script, emergency-contact and heat-and-rest cards, plus a Tool budget sheet and a Tool inventory sheet (CSV).
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Sources
- North Texas Electrical JATC, Statement of Policy (effective January 15, 2026)
- South Texas Electrical JATC, Rules and Policies, Inside Wireman (rev. 12/30/2025)
- TDLR, Apprentice Electrician license
