The state of Washington requires 8000 hrs of training supervised under a liscenced journeyman as well as yearly class time prior to being elegible for the electrical Journeyman exam. One is also required to have a 'trainee' liscense issued by the state L&I. This card is required to be carried with the trainee while at work and must be updated yearly with the previos years hours worked. I would be interested to know what constitutes an apprenticeship program if this does not. From my experience belonging to an 'apprenticeship' program in the state constitutes joining some type of contractors association, paying a membership fee, and receiving a scaled pecentage on prevailing wage jobs. Trainees are entitled to full journeylevel wages on prevailing wage work.

While this is a good concept, I disagree completely with your paradigm. The ratings favor union training. Union training can be very good, but so can trade schools. The ratings favor continuous education. My experience (PE) is that continuous education requirements are so vague that they mean little -- there are few requirements as to content and no requirements for qualifications for instructors. The ethics training several states now require is a total joke -- it's all case studies and it's all opinion, with no right or wrong answers. Finally, whether a state adopts a code state wide, and what year is adopted, isn't a significant marker. The important thing is whether the adopted code is enforced.

The chart has value in showing the choices the states have made. The scores diminish that value -- there is no consensus as to what is a "right" or "best" answer. Why are your opinions or scores better than mine? I'd suggest present ing the data without assigning scores.

Vermont should not be an "A" for the simple fact that any Tom, Dick or Harry can wire thier own single family home without inspection by state or even consulting a licensed electrician. If they were never allowed to sell it to anyone, that would be different, but what about the next person who buys that home? The training I got to get my Master License was, in my opinion, how not to kill people. Safety in other words. Isnt that what the bottem line is?

What about Oklahoma? You called out Arkansas, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oregon, and South Dakota as A+ states, but not Oklahoma!

From a proud Okie - stickin' up for my state.

as far as Wisconsin and inspectors. inspections are required on all new and remodel const. however inspectors inspect all aspects of the project. (one inspector inspects Plumbing, Concrete, underground work, Electrical, HVAC, structural.) Pretty tough to know all the codes, however they do a fair job under the circumstances, however is does need improvement. Also there is no requirement for Electrical lic. except certain cities require a lic. but the state of Wi. does not, anyone can and does do electrical work in other areas

Two items

First it is my understanding that Professional Engineers (PE) have to be licensed and if you are speaking of Union electricians your matrix is all wrong.

TF

This study should include a couple of additional columns that deduct points for: a) States that allow homeowners to wire their own residences (is electricity safer because it's in a house?) b) States that adopt the NEC, then amend it with their own "state electrical code", especially with less stringent requirements. The more you amend the NEC, the more points you lose. This will bring New Mexico to a grade of F-

You might want to double check the CEU requirements for a PE in the states of Massachusetts, Nebraska, Ohio, and Virginia. My records show Mass. & Virginia as requiring CEU. And Nebraska as not requiring this. Ohio starts requiring this in 2008.

this rating doesn\'t mean jack, licenses are nothing more than a tax!!!!!!!!! I\'m a union sparky and when on jobs you do things as you are told because they don\'t want to be told something is not to code! Lest you want a lay-off. I\'m on industrial jobs mostly we have city license requirement for one of the cities in this metro of 350,000. All apprentices must pass the experior test which allowes one to BUY a Davenport, IA. license and renew it yearly @ $50.00 IT IS SOLELY ABOUT MONEY ...BROTHER!!!!!!!!!!

Column K listing the edition of the NEC the State of Texas uses is incorrect: Even though 1305.101(a)(2) of the Texas Electricians Law gives the State of Texas the right to declare which edition of the NEC the entire State is under, the State does not have jurisdiction over municipalities. This means each city in Texas is free to use whatever edition they see fit. In the North Texas area only 4 cities inspect under the 2005 edition of the NEC - Dallas, Arlington, Mesquite, and Garland; Fort Worth is under the 2002; the remainder of the cities use the 1999 edition of the NEC. There may be a city I have incorrectly listed as not using the 2005 NEC, but information is limited as the State of Texas can only request this data from cities, not demand it. The listing on the State website for municipalities is over 2 year old.

Nice work on the spread sheet. Honestly I would be embarrassed representing the licensing system. Try moving from WV to TX as a Journeyman electrician. To me the licensing system is in place so someone has a job processing the applications. I know it has created a bottleneck for skilled workers wanting to relocate across the country. Maybe that is why PA does not have a state license. They should have an A+

I disagree with one column for Conneticut. You are required to be an apprentice for four years before you can take your Journeymans test.

Mike, I would love to see a spread sheet showing state by state data on insurance rates, fires per capata, electrical injury, etc. Might be interesting.

For an apprentice hours to count towards his/her 8000 that they earn within the State of Alaska, they must be regisiter with the State. Hours earned outside of the State must be notorized by the company where ther earned the hours. Also the 2005 was adopted a couple of months ago. I am sure hairs can be split on many if not all of the catagories. For example Alaska requires 16 CEU\'s per every two years. Some state may require more, some may require less. What is too much? What is too little?

Also why in the heck is Alaska is identified as an island as off the SW coast? It is 2.5 times larger the the little state of Texas and larger the the 5 largest combined? :)