MILITARY EDUCATION BENEFITS CAN FUND YOUR ELECTRICIAN EDUCATION!
Jump start a rewarding career at no cost to you! Apply your GI Bill to tuition at I-TAP!
The GI Bill benefits earned by military service members can be used to cover the cost of tuition at I-TAP and other vocational training schools. The GI Bill can also be used for a dependent child or spouse under certain circumstances. GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.
In the vast majority of cases, the GI Bill will completely cover all tuition costs. As a full-time student in our 26 Week Trainee Program, you can also receive a book stipend of up to $1,000 per year. If you opt for our 5 Year Commercial Electrician Training Program, you can receive a book stipend of up to $250 per year.
To learn more about how you can take full advantage of your military education benefits at I-TAP, give us a call or text us at (916) 407-0549, and we'll get you started on the path to a lucrative and enjoyable career as a commercial electrician!
FAQs About Using Military Educational Benefits at I-TAP
Veterans who are considering a new career in the electrical trade understandably have a lot of questions about their GI Bill benefits, tuition costs, and I-TAP's education process. Below you can find the answers to questions we commonly hear. But if we've left a question unanswered, please reach out to us and we'll be happy to help!
Yes, you can! Vocational training schools such as I-TAP can use the GI Bill to pay tuition.
The GI Bill can also be used to fund the education of a dependent child or spouse under certain special circumstances:
- Qualifying veterans can transfer their post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to a spouse or dependent children.
- A servicemember's or veteran's spouse or children may also be eligible for VA education benefits if the servicemember of veteran died in the line of duty, is fully disabled due to a service-connected disability, and in certain other scenarios.
If you are eligible for the full educational benefit—due to having served at least 3 years, or having served at least 30 days prior to being discharged for a service-connected disability—the GI Bill will completely cover all tuition costs to attend I-TAP.
Tuition for our 26 Week Trainee Program is $16,500. while the GI Bill covers up to $24,476.79 per academic year at private schools like I-TAP.
If you served less than 36 months, you are likely still eligible for a percentage of the maximum GI Bill benefit, which can be applied to your I-TAP tuition.
If you enroll in our 6 month program, you can receive up to $2,100 per month in housing benefits, as you'll be considered a full-time student.
If you were to enroll in the 5 year program, you would not be eligible to receive the housing benefit, as you would not be considered a part-time or full-time student.
Yes. As a full-time student in the 6 month program, you can receive a book stipend of up to $1,000 per year. As a less than part-time student in the 5 year trainee program, you can receive a book stipend of up to $250 per year.
Yes, the GI Bill covers up to $2,000 in testing fees. In fact, if you fail your certification test, the cost of retaking the test is covered.
No. There is no end date for your GI Bill eligibility unless you were discharged prior to January 1, 2013. In that case, you have 15 years from the date of discharge to use your benefits.
You can graduate and become a commercial electrician trainee in 6 months through our 26 week program. Upon graduation, students are eligible to take the California General Certification Exam. However, after passing the exam, you will still need to complete 8,000 hours of on-the-job experience before you can become a licensed electrician.
We also offer a 5 year training program, where students attend two weeks of class per semester in the classroom and lab. The objective of the 5 year program is to provide individuals already working as electricians with the schooling mandated by the state of California. If students take all 10 courses and complete 8,000 hours of on-the-job experience, they will have completed the entirety of the general electrician curriculum as approved by the state. Upon completion, they will be eligible to take the California General Certification Exam and become journey level electricians.
I-TAP will make every reasonable effort to accommodate students with special needs. If you have a disability and need an academic adjustment, please notify the Training Director as soon as possible, so the school can review your request.
It's also important to consider the feasibility of working on the jobsite with a disability. While there are limitations, many people with disability have had long, successful careers as electricians. The general is that, as long as you can safely navigate a multi-level jobsite, lift 50-pound loads, and have the endurance to work a full day of often physically intensive labor, you can work as an electrician.
I-TAP can also help you obtain and make better use of your Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) benefits.
You will need to bring in a copy of your DD214 Discharge Papers and Separation Documents, and request a benefits letter from Veterans Affairs.
The following list of programs and organizations is provided for the convenience of our students. I-TAP does not claim an affiliation with any of these organizations.
Veteran’s Affairs Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) Program: The VR&E program was developed to provide such veterans with a variety of forms of job assistance, enabling them to more easily enter the civilian workforce.
VR&E provides vocational assistance that includes:
- Resume Development
- Job Training
- Employment Accommodations
- Job-Seeking Skills Coaching
- Assistance with Starting a New Business
VR&E also offers a variety of mental health counseling services, including:
- Individual and Group Counseling
- Bereavement Counseling
- Substance Abuse Assessment and Referral
- Explanation of VBA Benefits
- Screening and Referral for Medical Issues
Nonprofits and services which help veterans attain employment:
The electrician field offers hand-on jobs that require expert technical work on a jobsite. While physically demanding, it's less so than other construction trades.
There is an element of teamwork to the trade, as many jobs require several electricians to complete a task efficiently and on time. This gives a sense of comradery as you work closely with your team on various projects.
There is a significant amount of structure inherent to the electrical trade, from the chain-of-command to the sets of rules, codes, and safety procedures which must be abided by.
Lastly, electricians generally look out for one another. Given all of the above, many veterans find working as an electrician to be extremely gratifying and rewarding.
As one veteran described the trade: “I really like my job because the work environment changes every day. You never stop learning and it is never monotonous... I have no student loans and have been paid to learn on the job. It is a tremendous opportunity."
I-TAP has been fortunate enough to train many military veterans. In 2018, the most recent year for which the VA has released data, I-TAP had 11 students who were veterans and paid for their tuition using the GI Bill.
While we do not have data on the trade as a whole, we can say from a personal perspective that many veterans find their way into the electrical trade, and are generally quite successful thanks to their dedication, excellent work habits, and appreciation for structure.
FAQs about the I-TAP Experience
Veterans who are considering a new career in the electrical trade understandably have a lot of questions about their GI Bill benefits, tuition costs, and I-TAP's education process. Below you can find the answers to questions we commonly hear. But if we've left a question unanswered, please reach out to us and we'll be happy to help!
- I-TAP is solely focused on the electrical trade, while most schools are less specialized, offering classes for several industries.
- We pride ourselves on the hands-on training we offers. ⅓ of education time is spent in the lab. I-TAP has twice as many labs as any other program. On average, you will have over 12 hours of hand-on lab experience per week. But it's not just how much time you spend in the lab. Many labs require students to share lab materials, meaning they spend much of the time observing. I-TAP is the only school in the region that provides sufficient working lab equipment for every student. No more than 2 students will ever work together on any given project!
- As one former student stated, “I can’t say what students at other schools are getting because I haven’t been there, but I know I’ve always had to take them by the hand and teach them on the work site. I can’t recall one I-TAP student I had to do that with.”
- We have continued to work with industry partners to enhance our labs and keep them up to date with the latest standards, including California’s Title 24 energy efficiency standards.
- In December of 2016, we received our international ACCET accreditation, and in February 2017, received our BPPE approval.
The 2017 graduation and placement rates for our 26 week electrical program were as follows:
- Students enrolled in the program – 34
- Students that completed the program – 34
- Graduates working in related positions – 24
We make every possible effort to assist in the placement of graduates, including providing resume assistance and mock interviews to help prepare students for their introduction into the industry. I-TAP also often receives calls from contractors looking for trainees. This information regarding who is actively hiring is then communicated to students nearing the end of their program who have met the graduation requirements.
However, we do not guarantee employment in the industry.
Our 26 Week Trainee Program is a full-time program, so you would likely be constrained to part-time work until you completed the program.
On the other hand, our 5 Year Commercial Electrician Trainee Program is designed for students who are currently working full time as electrician trainees. Classes meet only two weeks per semester (40 hours per week), so you will have to take a total of one month off per year will attending school.
Additionally, the following requirements apply to all students:
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Have a high school diploma or GED equivalent. Students may alternatively pass the Ability to Benefit Test, but I-TAP does not accept the responsibility of providing the test.
- Pass the I-TAP math exam with a score of 70% or better. Tutoring sessions can be scheduled and a student can reattempt the test.
- Pass the I-TAP colorblind exam.
- Be able to lift 50 lbs with or without reasonable accommodations.
- Be able to read and write English at the level of an American high school graduate.
New cohorts begin approximately 4 times per year. Contact I-TAP for the next available start.
26 Week Commercial Electrician Trainee
- 26 weeks, 900 total hours of instruction.
- Monday through Friday 7:00 am – 3:30 pm.
- 8 hours per each day, test days will be shorter. Approximately 35 hours total per week.
- New cohorts begins regularly, contact I-TAP for the next available start.
5 Year Commercial Electrician Trainee
- 10 individual 2-week courses. Classes must be taken sequentially, unless otherwise approved by the Training Director. Each course provides 80 hours of education towards the 150 hour state requirement
- Classes are Tuesday through Monday (2 weeks total) 7:00 am – 3:30 pm
- 8 hours of instruction per day for a total of 40 hours per week
- New cohorts begins approximately 4 times per year, contact the institution for the next available start.
⅔ of your time in the I-TAP program will be in the classroom. Below is a breakdown of your total number of hours on each subject:
You will be tested in these courses—students are evaluated at the end of every unit, approximately 2-3 weeks. I-TAP instructors also award points for homework, class participation and quizzes on a daily basis.
Yes. About 35% of class time is spent in a lab environment, for a total of about 900 hours for the duration of the program.
Equipment that students work with include but is not limited to:
- Conduit
- Conductors
- Lighting controllers
- Motor controls
- Fire alarm panels
- Benders
- Hydraulic benders
- Panels
- Transformers
- Switch gear
Most of our instructors have multiple decades of real-world experience experience, and all five instructors are licensed general electricians.
Upon graduation from either of our programs, you will be eligible to take the California General Certification Exam. Upon passing the exam and completing 8,000 hours of on-the-job experience, you will have completed the requirements for becoming a certified journey level electrician.
You can graduate and become a commercial electrician trainee in 6 months through our 26 week program. Upon graduation, students are eligible to take the California General Certification Exam. However, after passing the exam, you will still need to complete 8,000 hours of on-the-job experience before you can become a licensed electrician.
We also offer a 5 year training program, where students attend two weeks of class per semester in the classroom and lab. The objective of the 5 year program is to provide individuals already working as electricians with the schooling mandated by the state of California. If students take all 10 courses and complete 8,000 hours of on-the-job experience, they will have completed the entirety of the general electrician curriculum as approved by the state. Upon completion, they will be eligible to take the California General Certification Exam and become journey level electricians.
While there is never 100% certainty about the future job market, currently the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates that between 2018 and 2028, employment of electricians will grow by 10%, with 74,100 new positions becoming available. For comparison, the overall job market is expected to grow by only 5% during that time.
While working as an electrician trainee or apprentice, pay can vary considerably, but around $40,000 per year is typical. However, many of our students have stated that completing the 6 month program and passing their certification test resulted in them being offered salaries that were higher than average, as they had more technical and hands on knowledge than the typical trainee.
Once you have gotten 8,000 hours of experience, passed the certification exam, and become a journeyman electrician, you can earn up to $100,000 per year, though this can vary depending on where you work.
As you move on in your career, you can make much more. Foremen and superintendents make up to $125,000 per year, and project managers up to $150,000 per year.
If you dream of getting your C-10 electrician's license and opening your own business, then there's no telling where you could cap out at!
Other Financial Opportunities
We know it can be challenging to get the financial aid necessary to cover education costs while also making ends meet. We'll work with you to identify financial aid benefits, loans, and grants which are applicable to your situation, and will assist you in coordinating the application processes.
Call or text us at (916) 407-0549, and we'll help you get started on the path to a fulfilling and well-paying career as a commercial electrician.
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