Becoming a licensed electrician requires the same line items as most educations: tuition, fees, books and supplies. The cost of entry-level supplies for an apprentice electrician, however, can add up faster than for some other programs. The good news is that the tools don’t change from apprentice to journeyman, so setting yourself up with quality tools first may help you save in the long run.
Different apprenticeship programs require different first-year purchases, but you can expect to see a set of basic hand tools, like the list below.
Some programs subsidize costs or offer starter sets to new apprentices to help offset the potentially hefty price tag of being properly equipped for the job. We only have to look as far as our 2016 Electrician of the Year winner and runner-up to see how important it is to support the schools that offer education and training for electricians and other skilled trades.
Klein Tools 2016 Electrician of the Year runner-up, Bill Budz, displays his tool donation to the HVAC Technical Institute in Chicago.
Bill Budz, our 2016 Electrician of the Year runner-up, donated his $1,250 tool prize package to the HVAC Technical Institute in Chicago recently. He is an instructor at the school and was excited for his students to get hands-on experience using the highest-quality tools in the industry.
Vice President of Education for ABC, Kara Arenas, receives tool donation from Klein Tools 2016 Electrician of the Year, Eric Simmons.
Eric Simmons, our 2016 Electrician of the Year, started thinking about creating a scholarship for local apprentices as soon as he found out he was a regional winner. He turned that thought into reality this month with a substantial tool donation to his local chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. in Nevada.
"I wanted to help apprentices in my area get a jump start on the initial investment needed to enter the field," Simmons says. "I’m happy to be able to do that with this donation so that they have the right tools to the right job."