Short answer: Federal registered apprenticeship standards require adequate on-the-job supervision and periodic evaluations of apprentice performance at work and in related instruction (29 CFR 29.5). In Texas, the hours you need for a journeyman license count under a Master Electrician licensed in Texas, who signs to verify them. Ask your training office when your next evaluation is scheduled, who completes it, and how you can review the results. You can use those reviews to ask for clearer feedback. The skill is asking them clear questions at the right moment and writing down what they teach.
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).
Log your Texas Journeyman hours free. A free Tsai Electro account keeps your supervised hours, your online practice scores and your exam date in one place. Start with a five-question check to see which topic to practice next.
Tsai Electro is an independent learning site. Not affiliated with TDLR, OSHA, the Department of Labor or any apprenticeship program.
What the rules already give you
In a registered apprenticeship, supervision, performance evaluations and progress records are part of the training standards. Your program should explain how these work in practice. Here is what the official pages say.
| Source | What it says | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| 29 CFR 29.5(b)(6) | Periodic review and evaluation of your performance on the job and in related instruction, plus progress records | Your registered apprenticeship must include periodic performance reviews, but this standard does not specify a fixed review interval. |
| 29 CFR 29.5(b)(14) | Qualified training personnel and adequate supervision on the job | Check how supervision works in your program. |
| 29 CFR 29.5(b)(7) | A ratio of apprentices to journeyworkers consistent with proper supervision, training and safety | Registered apprenticeship standards require an apprentice-to-journeyworker ratio consistent with proper supervision, training and safety. Check your program’s applicable ratio. |
| 29 CFR 29.5(b)(9) | Safety training for apprentices on the job and in related instruction | Safety teaching comes from your employer and program |
| TDLR journeyman license page | Hours count under a Master Electrician licensed in Texas; each supervisor signs to document them | Each supervising Master Electrician must verify the experience you report for the journeyman license. |
| Apprenticeship.gov | Structured on-the-job training includes instruction from an experienced mentor | Mentoring is part of the model, not a favor |
If you are new and want the basics of your first year (license, supervision, hours), see our first year as a Texas apprentice electrician page.
What Texas programs publish about feedback
Two examples from program documents:
- South Texas Electrical JATC. Its Rules and Policies (amended December 30, 2025) say journeymen and foremen who supervise, guide or direct apprentices on the jobsite take on the role of an on-the-job trainer, and must complete performance evaluations “in a scrupulous and honest manner.” South Texas JATC lists satisfactory employer evaluations as a requirement for advancement into the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth periods. Apprentices can review their OJT evaluations in the program’s online portal.
- IEC Dallas. Its program sheet says your company gives IEC quarterly field reports on your performance, and IEC gives your employer your classroom attendance and grades, also quarterly. It also says most IEC instructors are Master Electricians with field and teaching experience.
Your program may work differently. Ask your training office how often evaluations happen and whether you can see them.
What a good mentor does
A mentor who explains why is not always the most senior person on the crew. Look for the person who:
- Tells you the reason behind a step, not just the step.
- Explains the approved method, observes your work as appropriate, and corrects mistakes within your employer’s training and supervision rules.
- Gives you one specific thing to fix, not a general “do better.”
- Checks the fix the next time.
- Stops you before something unsafe, every time.
How to ask for feedback that helps
- Pick a calm moment. Ask after a task is done, at a break or on the drive back. Not in the middle of a pull or a tight deadline.
- Ask a narrow question. “What is one thing I should do differently on the next box?” works better than “How am I doing?”
- Ask why, once. “Why do we do it this way here?” Shop methods vary, and the reason helps you remember.
- Write it down. Use your own words, the same day.
- Show the fix. Next time, do it the corrected way and ask, “Is this what you meant?”
- Bring it to your review. When your program’s evaluation comes up, you have notes on what you learned and what you are still working on.
Never ask to try energized work so you can learn faster. Follow your employer’s safety rules and the training they provide.
If feedback stops
Sometimes a crew lead is busy, or just does not explain. For ordinary feedback questions, try another qualified person who supervises or trains you, or ask your foreman. For safety concerns, follow your employer’s safety reporting procedures rather than waiting for routine feedback. If it continues, talk to your instructor or training office; that is part of why they exist. Programs also publish complaint procedures. South Texas JATC, for example, asks for complaints in writing to the Training Director’s office.
Check your feedback habits
Feedback habit check
Tick what is true for you right now. Nothing leaves your browser.
- I know which journeyman supervises me on this job
- I know which Master Electrician will sign my hours for this employer
- I log my hours and tasks myself, every day
- I know when my program’s next evaluation or progress review is
- I ask at least one clear why question each day, at a calm moment
- I write down each correction in my own words
- I show the fix the next time and ask if it is right
- I know who to talk to at my training office if feedback stops
A mentor teaches the work. This pack trains you for the exam. The Texas Journeyman Electrician Exam Practice Pack has 1,000 practice questions and 10 timed two-part mock exams built on the PSI format and the 2026 NEC, each part scored against 70%, with step-by-step solutions for the calculations and a list of code-book locations ranked by how many questions in this pack cite each one. This pack is for journeyman exam practice, not for finding a mentor, improving workplace feedback, recording qualifying work hours, or replacing your employer’s training or program evaluations. US$39, one payment, 30-day refund if unused.
Does a registered apprenticeship have to review my progress?
Yes. The federal standards for registered apprenticeship programs in 29 CFR 29.5(b)(6) require periodic evaluations of performance on the job and in related instruction, along with appropriate progress records. The cited standard does not set one fixed review interval.
Who supervises my hours for the Texas journeyman license?
TDLR counts on-the-job training under the supervision of a Master Electrician licensed in Texas. Each supervisor signs to document your experience, on a separate form for each supervisor.
What if my journeyman never explains anything?
Ask another journeyman, then your foreman. If it continues, talk to your instructor or training office. Ask your training office how to raise a concern and whether your program has a written complaint procedure.
Can a mentor replace my safety training?
No. Your employer and program are responsible for safety training. A mentor helps you apply it on the job.
