Home / Electricians / South Dakota / Apprenticeships
Home / Electricians / South Dakota / Apprenticeships
Electrician apprenticeships in South Dakota
South Dakota has 17 registered electrician apprenticeship programs: 0 union and 17 open shop.1 Apprentices are hired and paid while they learn. The hours count toward the journeyman license (8,000 hours).2
Find a program near you
Enter your ZIP to sort by distance. Lineman, utility and studio programs are hidden because they lead to a different license.
17 programs
AETech Electrical Training Center
Rapid City · Pennington County
aetech.comAll Phase Electric, INC.
Sioux Falls · Minnehaha County
Arneson Electric, INC.
Lake Norden · Hamlin County
Baumgartners Electric
Sioux Falls · Minnehaha County
Builders Electric LLC
Sioux Falls · Minnehaha County
Dakota Electric
Spearfish · Lawrence County
Dakota Electric Inc
Sioux Falls · Minnehaha County
Degen Electric, INC.
Sioux Falls · Minnehaha County
Eric Johnson Electric, LLC
Huron · Beadle County
Freemans Electric
Rapid City · Pennington County
Grand Electric Cooperative, INC.
Bison · Perkins County
Kilowatt Electric
Rapid City · Pennington County
Muth Electric, Inc.
Mitchell · Davison County
ND IEC Dakotas Independant Electrical Contractors, Inc.
Sioux Falls · Minnehaha County
iecdakotas.comSD Rural Electric Association
Pierre · Hughes County
Sdrea - West River Electric Association
Wall · Pennington County
Sioux Falls Electric
Sioux Falls · Minnehaha County
Union County Electric Cooperative, INC.
Elk Point · Union County
Wilson Electric
Hot Springs · Fall River County
No programs match. Clear the county or type filter, or try a nearby ZIP.
Union locals and training centers in South Dakota
Call the local or its training center for the next application date.
IBEW union locals
- IBEW Local 426Sioux Falls(605) 336-0370
- IBEW Local 1250Rapid City(605) 343-0954
- IBEW Local 231Office in Sioux City, IA(712) 255-8138
Electrical training centers (JATCs)
No center in the national list has an address in South Dakota. Electrical Training Alliance locator
IEC chapters (open shop)
- IEC Dakotas801 W. Blackhawk Street PO Box 2758, Sioux Falls(605) 271-0395
Union or open shop?
Union
Run by a JATC run jointly by the IBEW local and the NECA contractors' chapter. You apply to the committee, take an aptitude test and an interview, and wait on a ranked list. The committee sends you to its contractors.
Pay is a set share of the union journey-level rate and steps up on a schedule. Classes are nights or week-long blocks, usually paid for by the program.
Open shop
Run by ABC, IEC or a single electrical contractor. You usually get hired by a member contractor first, and the contractor enrolls you.
Your employer sets the pay and the raises. Classes are nights or weekends, and some programs charge tuition.
What do programs ask for?
Age
Usually 18. Some programs take applications at 17.
High school diploma or GED
Most programs ask for one. Bring a transcript.
Algebra
Electrical and sheet metal programs usually want one year of high school algebra with a passing grade.
Aptitude test or interview
Union programs give an aptitude test (math and reading) and an interview, then rank applicants. Open-shop programs usually start with a job offer.
Driver's license and drug screen
Many programs ask for both, since apprentices drive between job sites.
Applying this month
Get your papers together1 week
High school transcript or GED, a photo ID, and your birth certificate or proof of age. Programs that ask for algebra want the transcript that shows it.
- Time
- 1 week
Practice for the aptitude test2 to 4 weeks
Union programs test algebra and reading. A few evenings with a practice test helps your ranking.
- Time
- 2 to 4 weeks
Pick three programs and check their dates1 evening
Union programs take applications in set windows, some once a year. Open-shop programs and employer programs often take them year-round.
- Time
- 1 evening
Apply, then keep working
Apply to all three. While you wait, a helper or trainee job with a licensed contractor gives you hours and a reference.
Can't get in yet?
Pre-apprenticeship
Short programs, often free, that teach the basics and help with the application. Ask the programs above which ones they take graduates from.
Start on a crew
Licensed contractors hire helpers with no experience. Keep a log of your hours and employers; many programs and license boards count them. If you'd rather learn the basics first, 5 schools in South Dakota have electrician programs.
The license steps in South DakotaHow do you get into an electrician apprenticeship in South Dakota?
Pick programs near you, check each one's website for its application dates, and apply to more than one. Union programs test and interview, then rank applicants; open-shop programs usually start once a member contractor hires you.
How long is an electrician apprenticeship in South Dakota?
About 4 years. The journeyman license requires 8,000 hours of supervised work.
How much do electrician apprentices make in South Dakota?
Programs set their own scales, usually a share of journey-level pay that rises every year. For a floor, the lowest-paid tenth of all electricians in South Dakota earned $21.31 an hour or less in May 2025.
Electrician pay in South DakotaOther routes in South Dakota
Sources
- U.S. Department of Labor, apprenticeship.gov registered apprenticeship partners (apprenticeship.gov)
- South Dakota electrician license requirements (dlr.sd.gov, 2026-10-27)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, South Dakota, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)