[National Apprenticeship and Training Standards for the Electrical Industry]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP AND TRAINING STANDARDS
FOR THE
P A MB BIB B M B kLEU I nlvAL
INDUSTRY
WAR MANPOWER COMMISSION
BUREAU OF TRAINING APPRENTICE-TRAINING SERVICE ' Washington, 0. C.
1945
APPRENTICESHIP SYSTEM OF THE ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY
FOREWORD
In August, 1941, the National Joint Apprenticeship Committee for the Electrical Construction Industry issued "National Apprenticeship Standards for the Electrical Construction Industry.” This was a carefully prepared summary of many years’ experience by both employers and union leaders with apprenticeship training programs and, standards in the electrical construction industry.
As an indication of the swift and fundamental changes that are now taking place in the electrical industry, it appeared essential that the National Joint Apprenticeship Committee for the Electrical Construction Industry revise these standards, broadening their scope and intensifying their appeal. The new standards do not represent so much basic changes in content and substance as new applications to every branch of the electrical industry.
The standards of August, 1941, contain the following foreword:
"In harmony with the general policy of cooperation which prevails in the electrical construction industry, these National Apprenticeship Standards are the product of the action of a National Joint Committee drawn from union and employer representatives. Consultation with government representatives has been frequent. These standards are the outgrowth of long years of experience in the field. They utilize also the best of the standards accumulated in local districts, where more than 5 0 joint committees have been at work. Those standards are projected against a background of the electrical industry and the electrical trade, and they seek to correlate the customs and traditions of the industry and the trade which condition apprenticeship standards.
"These National Apprenticeship Standards are guides for the use of local unions and local contractor associations. It is expected that they will not only serve to guide, but will also stimulate formation of local joint committees in order that a nation-wide apprenticeship . system will rapidly materialize. The aim, of course, is to produce thousands of electrical apprentices destined to become uniformly competent journeymen craftsmen. These standards should likewise create pride in the electrical industry and the electrical craft.”
In planning and developing the national training program in the electrical industry, the committee gratefully acknowledges the valuable assistance of ^J^ilham F. Patterson, Director, Apprentice-Training Service and Assistant Directors of this agency, Ansel R. Cleary and Maurice M. Hanson, who is also National Consultant for the Construction Industry.
NATIONAL JOINT APPRENTICESHIP AND TRAINING COMMITTEE FOR THE ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY
Representing the National Electrical Contractors’
Association
E. H. Herzberg {Chairman) Robert W. McChesney
E. C. Carlson
J. W. Collins
W. F. McCarter
P. M. Geary
Representing the International Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers
Ed. J. Brown (Vice-Chairman)
M. H. Hedges {Secretary)
G. M. Bugniazet
H. W. Maher
C. W. Spain
William D. Walker
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CONTENTS
Paget
I.	The Basic Skill ........................................................ 1
A. Change and Stability ....................................................  1
II.	Character of the Electrical Trade .......................................  2
A. Simplicity and Complexity.........................................  '	2
III.	Elements in the Mastery of Skill ....................................  3
A. Road to Skill ............................................................ 3
IV.	Machinery of Training ...............................................  4
A. Machinery of Education	......................... 4
V.	Standards ..............................<................................. 5
A.	Definition of Electrical Apprentice ............................. 5
B.	Terms of Apprenticeship Instruction .............................. 5
C.	Probationary Period .............................................. 5
D.	Qualifications for Apprenticeship Applicants .................... 5
E.	"Post Graduate” Training ........................................  6
F.	Apprentice Wages ...............................................   6
G.	The Ratio of Apprentices to Journeymen ........................   6
H.	Trained Instructors ............(................................ 6
I.	Periodical Examinations ...............................'.......... 6
J.	Apprenticeship Agreement ......................................    6
K.	Identification of Apprentices .................'................. 6
• L. Composition of Joint Electrical Apprenticeship Committees. 7
M.	Duties of the Local Joint Apprenticeship Committee..........	7
N.	Rotation of Employment ........................................   8
O.	Hours of Work for Apprentices ..................................  8
P.	Adjusting Differences ........................................     9
Q.	Compliance with Apprenticeship Standards ........................ 9
R.	Panels of Candidates for Apprenticeship.......................... 9
VI	. Basic Related Instruction ........................................... 9
A.	Theory .........................'................................ 9
B.	Elementary Theory of Electricity ................................ 10
1.	Direct Current ...........................................   10
2.	Alternating Current .......................................  11
C.	Laboratory Testing ............................................  13
1.	Suggested Content: Applied Theory .......................... 13
D.	Electrical Drawing ............................................  13
1.	Suggested Content .........................................  13
2.	Drawings: Diagram of. Electrical Circuits .................. 14
E.	Proper Use and Care of Tools . ... .......................  •	15
F.	Hand Tools arid Processes ....................................... 15
G.	Related Metal Work ............................................ 15.
H.	Rope Work ....................................................   15
I.	Operation, Maintenance, and Repairs . .......................	.	15
1.	Suggested Topics	........................................ 15
J.	Trade Technology ..............................................   16
1.	Suggested Topics	 ....................................... 16
K.	Vocational Civics and	English .................................. 17
1.	Suggested Topics: Oral Discussion .........................  17
VIL	Content of Training for Electrical Construction..................... 17
A.	Signal Wiring................................................... 17
B.	Lighting ........................................................ 17
C.	Fixture Work .................................................   18
D.	Joining of Wires ..............................................  18
E.	Wiring for Power ................................................ 18
F.	Rope Work ....................................................... 18
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G.	Proper Use and Care of Tools . .	  18
H.	Appliance Repair .............................................. 18
I.	Related Metal Work ............................................. 18
1.	Power Machines ........................................... 18
2.	Hand Tools and Processes ................................. 18
VIII.	Line Construction ... J...........................................   18
IX.	Cable Construction ............................................  19
X.	Industrial Electronics .......“.................................... 19
A.	Phototube Applications ........................................  20
B.	Phanotron Applications . .... .................................  20
C.	■ Thyratron Applications .....................................   20
D.	Ignitron Applications .........................................  20
E.	Pliotron Applications .......................................    21
F.	Kenotron Applications ........................................   21
G.	Cathode-Ray Tube Applications ................................   21
H.	Industrial X-Ray Tube Applications ............................ 21
XL	Signal Systems . .............................................   21
A.	Fire and Police Signal System................................... 22
B.	Communication System ........................................... 22
C.	Traffic Signal System..........................................  22
D.	Interlocking Signal System........... .......................... 23
XII.	Light and Power Systems: Generation .............................  23
XIII.	Light and Power Systems: Distribution .............................. J4
XIV.	Repairs and Winding ..............................................   24
A.	Electrical Repair Shop and Winder Apprentice ................... 24
1.	General Operation ......................................   24
2.	Strip Windings ........................................... 23
3.	Coil Winding ......................|...........;.......... 23
4.	Transformers ...........................................  23
3.	Repairing Direct Current Machines ........................ 23
6.	Repairing Alternating Current Machines ................... 23
7.	Repairing AC and DC Starters and controllers.........	26
8.	Switchboards, Instruments, and Meters .................... 26
9.	Small Motor and Appliance Repairs........	  26
10.	Outside Service and Repairs ............................. 26
11.	Miscellaneous Related Work .............................. 26
12.	Schooling ............................................... 26
B.	Licensed Maintenance Electrician ............................... 27
C.	Motor and Motor Control Equipment ............................   27
Appendix A.	Apprenticeship Agreement ................................... 28
Appendix B.	Certificate of Completion of Apprenticeship ................. 29
Appendix C. Letter of Endorsement—National Electrical Contractors Association ............................................................... 30
Appendix D. Letter of Endorsement—International Brotherhood, Electrical Workers ........................................................     31
Appendix E. State Apprenticeship Agencies........................................ 32
Appendix F. . Regional Officers, Apprentice-Training Service ................ Inside
back cover
Appendix G. Other ATS Publications ........................................  outside
back
cover
NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP AND TRAINING STANDARDS
FOR THE
ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY
I.	BASIC SKILL
Change and Stability.—Change is a manifestation of all industries. Changes are more fundamental and more swift in the electrical industry. Change in the electrical industry is dictated by the rapidly expanding character of electrical science. Indeed some authorities take the position that new devices in technology originate usually in the electrical industry and then are introduced into other industries, bringing about the same fundamental changes in methods and direction.
The global war certainly furnished a laboratory for the rapid introduction of new technological devices. Trends that had been present in the electrical industry for 25 years suddenly plowed deep into actuality. Before the global war the electronic branch of the electrical industry was doing a business of about one billion dollars a year. During the four years of the war, the electronic industry quadrupled its output of electronic machines and is now doing a business of about four billion dollars a year. The settled expectations of industrial leaders in the electronic industry are that the electronic branch of the industry will probably absorb about 2 5 per cent of the capital, the production and distribution of the entire electrical industry. The electrical construction branch of the industry, where apprenticeship training had its origination and its strongest hold and where recruiting for the entire electrical industry occurred, felt actively the same sweeping changes that other sections of the electrical industry felt. Moreover, it became apparent that the traditional boundary lines between segments of the electrical industry were not and could not be preserved in their traditional sense; the electrical industry tended to unification.
It became apparent, therefore, to the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee that the standards issued in August, 1941, should be reexamined and extended to meet the changing character of the electrical industry.
While these changes were apparent, it was also clear that skill had not lessened but was enhanced during the period of the global war. Skill, whether it be the skill of the mechanic or of the technician or engineer, is the stabilizing factor in the industry. National standards merely emphasize this basic fact. It is clear also that skill is not vested interest of any one segment of the electrical industry nor can it be anchored to any geographical locality. Skill
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is basic. Standards that seek to evaluate this skill must be national standards. Skill first rests upon the technical knowledge of electrical science. This knowledge until it is applied by the mechanic, the technician and the engineer is so much deadwood. Knowledge applied makes skill.
The art of handling electricity is regarded as being all one piece; that is fundamentals are uniform and are basic to all branches of the electrical industry. In view of the fact that the electrical industry is organized on what has come to be called a horizontal basis; in view of the fact that the electrical industry is national and tends to standardize its products, however varied, on any basis other than geographical, standards of apprenticeship may be and should be uniform not only in all branches but in every geographical location.
It appears that much progress can be made if and when local joint apprenticeship committees work in close conjunction with the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee.
All local or area joint apprenticeship and training committees will be contacted from time to time by the national joint committee for facts and figures on the status of apprenticeship and training in their area.
It is also apparent that apprentices and journeymen ought to be prepared to supplement their regular training with night school courses at their own expense, time and money. This is the only way in which the craftsman can master the vast amount of learning necessary to make him a first-class mechanic.
II.	CHARACTER OF THE ELECTRICAL TRADE
Simplicity and Complexity.—Skill is basic. Skill rests upon a knowledge of electrical science and the mastery of the expanding frontiers of electrical science. The apprentice,- therefore, must receive first of all basic training in the theory and fundamentals of electricity and craftsmanship and may pass to specialized training in any one of the important branches of electrical science and the electrical trade. For the purpose of these standards the following segments of the industry are recognized:
Electrical construction
Line construction
Cable installation
Industrial electronics
Signal systems
Telephone, telegraph and communications
Light and power systems (generation)
Light and power systems (distribution) Repairs and winding of electrical equipment (electrical maintenance)
Electrical railroad maintenance
Radio broadcasting
Marine electrical work
Rigging*
Welding*
Basic training will have principally to do with the theories and
• Segments of the craft performed in every branch of the trade.
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fundamentals of electrical science; fundamentals of mathematics; mastery of electrical circuits and diagrams; electrical and mechanical drawings; laboratory testing.
III.	ELEMENTS IN THE MASTERY OF SKILL
Road to Skill.—The electrical trade, unlike some trades, is mechanical, technical, and professional. It must draw men who have a natural aptitude in using tools and it must at the same time attract men who are gifted enough to master the intricacies of electrical science. Training must be given in the intelligent selecting and handling of measuring rules and scales; saws, drills, and taps for various purposes and metals; ropes and blocks; and a practical knowledge of the application of levers, gears, and pulleys, along with the ability to rig efficiently for hoisting and erecting equipment and materials. Moreover, mathematics, as in most crafts and professions, is basic to full mastery. Too frequently, the electrical trade is regarded merely as a mechanical art, whereas it is a combination of the mechanical, technical* and professional, for it shades in at the top to the work of the electrical engineer.
The men are classified as electricians and supervising electricians. The supervising electrician is a registered electrician, and he is qualified to interpret electrical rules contained in the national and local electrical codes governing the safe and proper installation of electrical equipment. The scope of his work requires him to have some knowledge of electrical engineering. Indeed, organization of the electrical industry is based upon the character of the electrical trade; that is, with electrical mechanics at the base, mechanics professional or supervising electricians within the journeymen ranks, and with electrical engineers or technicians as contractors.
Because the proper handling of electricity is regarded by city councils, legislatures, and courts as touched with public significance, there is a clear relationship between the electrical trade, the art of installation, and the public welfare. The continuous operation of electrical equipment, the prevention of fires, and the protection of human life are regarded as functions of electrical workers whether they be electrical mechanics, mechanics professional, supervising electricians, or contractors. Electrical science is constantly changing and expanding. This, in turn, -conditions the electrical arts. The electrical industry has moved from nothing to the third largest industry in one generation. This means that sound basic training must be given early to the apprentices; that this must be supplemented by a certain amount of theoretical instruction in electricity; and that some provision must be made for training and retraining in an expanding science. Post-graduate courses are desirable that journeymen may keep pace with this changing science. As viewed
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by the electrical industry, general training should and does precede specialization on the part of the apprentices or the journeymen. The standard here involved is not unlike that obtaining in the academic world where a liberal-arts education must precede specialization in the professions. Moreover, it is generally conceded that training of mechanics must be done upon the job and all arts must be learned by doing. Only a minor part of the time of learning the electrical trade is spent in technical classes.
The electrical trade presents evidence of a high degree of responsibility on the part of trained craftsmen. Some of these are:
(1)	Every job presents variations and individual problems which demand decision by the journeyman for their practical and successful solution. Generally an electrical craftsman works there and must take responsibility for the particular segment of the job.
(2)	Journeymen on many jobs have opportunity of dealing with customers. The personal conduct of the craftsman conditions future advancement of the trade and industry.
(3)	A workmanly job is inclusive of the aesthetic. Slovenly work with no regard for the neat and sightly is generally poor work, from the craft point of view. Shapely work is generally sound and safe work.
(4)	The mechanic has responsibility for the interconnection and construction of a complex electrical system. Adequate performance of his task is necessary to make this system work adequately. Generally speaking, in the electrical industry, mechanics, professional and supervising electricians operate under the supervision of city and state inspectors, which demands and assures a high standard of workmanship.
(3)	All craftsmen must have a working knowledge of municipal, state and national electrical codes and the codes of practice within the industry.
IV.	MACHINERY OF TRAINING
Machinery of Education.—The machinery of apprenticeship already in widespread use is conditioned by the scope and character of the electrical industry and the nature of the electrical trade.
Because of the trade’s approach to the professional level, experience has proven that a combination of practical and theoretical instruction must be provided apprentices. Experience has also shown that a planned system of apprenticeship which will cover every apprentice employed in the electrical trade in a community must be set up. This system is developed by a joint committee of equal representation from the electrical contractors and from the electrical workers. It contains' the standards governing the employment and training of electrical apprentices and the method
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through which the system is to be administered. The apprenticeship system is then approved by the interested organizations and is placed in operation.
For many years a number of highly successful apprenticeship systems built on those lines have been in operation. All, whether set down in writing or not, follow a consistent pattern.
In recent years great stimulus has been given to the setting up of apprenticeship systems in all trades by the Apprentice-Training Service,* War Manpower Commission, and its policy-making Federal Committee on Apprenticeship. The national organizations of electrical contractors and electrical workers have encouraged local affiliated organizations to cooperate with the Federal Committee, and from the experience of such local groups these national standards have been built.
V.	STANDARDS
Definition of Electrical Apprentice.—The term apprentice as used shall mean a person at least 18 years of age who preferably has a high school education or its equivalent, who is covered by a written agreement with the local joint apprenticeship committee, recognized by the Federal Committee on Apprenticeship, and by an approved supplementary agreement with an employer, providing for not less than 8,000 hours of reasonably continuous employment for such person, and for his participation in an approved schedule of work experience through employment, supplemented by at least 144 hours per year of related classroom instruction.
Terms of Apprenticeship Instruction.—It shall be regarded that 8,000 hours of work and class-room experience will give the equivalent of 5 years’ training, and it shall be recommended that it take 5 years of training to produce a well-rounded journeyman.
Probationary Period.—All apprentices employed in accordance with these standards shall be given a probationary period not exceeding 6 months. During this probationary period annulment of the apprentice agreement may be made by the local joint apprenticeship committee on request of either party without the formality of a hearing.
After the probationary period the agreement may be cancelled by the joint apprenticeship committee for good cause. The Committee shall notify the registration agency of all terminations of agreements and the reasons therefor.
Qualifications for Apprenticeship Applicants.—Candidates for electrical apprenticeship not hitherto connected with the trade
* Originally established in the U. S. Department of Labor; transferred April 18, 1942, by Executive Order No. 9193 to the Federal Security Agency; and on Septembr 17, 1942, transferred by Executive Order No. 9247 to the War Manpower Commission.
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must be between the ages of 18 and 24 years. The following information shall be submitted to the local joint apprenticeship committee by each apprentice applicant:
(