Electrician training in Iowa

5 electrician training programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

4 schools offer these electrician programs, and Iowa has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows its price if you pay yourself and how past students did.

Electricians install, maintain and repair electrical power, communications, lighting and control systems. Most learn the trade in a four- or five-year apprenticeship with paid on-the-job training, and most states require electricians to pass a test and be licensed.¹

In Iowa, 1 of the 5 programs takes students without a high school diploma and 4 ask for a diploma or equivalent.

By kind, the 5 programs here are electrician certificate or diploma (3 programs) and electrician (associate degree, 2 programs).

See the 5 programs

How much does electrician training cost in Iowa?

$7,910 to $14,600 is what most electrician training programs in Iowa cost if you pay yourself

That is the middle half of the 5 programs with a price. All of them: $7,276 to $16,492

In the typical program

Finished the program: 49%
Working 6 months later: 81%
Earned a year, estimated: about $30,700
Length: 32 to 64 weeks

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in Iowa may also offer electrician training. How these figures are made

Is there free electrician training in Iowa?

Yes, if you qualify. WIOA (public workforce funding) can pay for any program on this page, in full or in part, depending on local limits.²³⁴
Ask an American Job Center whether you qualify, or call 1-877-872-5627.⁵ Before funding training, the center goes through an assessment and a career plan with you.⁴
Or pay yourself. Most electrician programs in Iowa cost $7,910 to $14,600. Prices on this page run from $7,276 to $16,492.

Who qualifies, and other ways to pay: paid apprenticeships, financial aid and the GI Bill

All 5 electrician training programs in Iowa approved for WIOA funding

5 programs

Electrician (associate degree)In personNo diploma needed
Electrical Technology
Southwestern Community College
Creston
Accredited school
No diploma needed
Southwestern Community College, CrestonElectrician (associate degree) · Accredited schoolIn person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimated$37,600
Price if you pay yourself$16,492
Program website, Electrical Technology at Southwestern Community College
More details about Electrical Technology at Southwestern Community College
Finished
85%
Working at 6 months
69%
Earned in a quarter
$9,392
Length
78 weeks, 27 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$1,904
Students counted
125
Earned a year, estimated
$37,600
Price if you pay yourself
$16,492
Program website, Electrical Technology at Southwestern Community College
Electrician (associate degree)HybridHigh school diploma or equivalent
Industrial Electrician *INDEL.AAS
Northeast Iowa Community College
Calmar
Accredited school
High school diploma or equivalent
Northeast Iowa Community College, CalmarElectrician (associate degree) · Accredited schoolHybrid · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimated$51,700
Price if you pay yourself$14,600
Program website, Industrial Electrician *INDEL.AAS at Northeast Iowa Community College
More details about Industrial Electrician *INDEL.AAS at Northeast Iowa Community College
Finished
35%
Working at 6 months
95%
Earned in a quarter
$12,921
Length
64 weeks, 28 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$3,025
Students counted
86
Earned a year, estimated
$51,700
Price if you pay yourself
$14,600
Program website, Industrial Electrician *INDEL.AAS at Northeast Iowa Community College
Electrician certificate or diplomaIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Electrician - Diploma
Western Iowa Tech Community College
Sioux City
Accredited school
High school diploma or equivalent
Western Iowa Tech Community College, Sioux CityElectrician certificate or diploma · Accredited schoolIn person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimated$30,700
Price if you pay yourself$7,276
Program website, Electrician - Diploma at Western Iowa Tech Community College
More details about Electrician - Diploma at Western Iowa Tech Community College
Finished
36%
Working at 6 months
79%
Earned in a quarter
$7,683
Length
32 weeks, 25 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$1,169
Students counted
79
Earned a year, estimated
$30,700
Price if you pay yourself
$7,276
Program website, Electrician - Diploma at Western Iowa Tech Community College
Electrician certificate or diplomaIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Electrical Technology Diploma
Iowa Western Community College
Council Bluffs
Accredited school
High school diploma or equivalent
Iowa Western Community College, Council BluffsElectrician certificate or diploma · Accredited schoolIn person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimated$22,800
Price if you pay yourself$7,910
Program website, Electrical Technology Diploma at Iowa Western Community College
More details about Electrical Technology Diploma at Iowa Western Community College
Finished
49%
Working at 6 months
81%
Earned in a quarter
$5,691
Length
32 weeks, 23 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$1,700
Students counted
40
Earned a year, estimated
$22,800
Price if you pay yourself
$7,910
Program website, Electrical Technology Diploma at Iowa Western Community College
Electrician certificate or diplomaIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Commercial-Residential Electrician *COMRES.DP
Northeast Iowa Community College
Calmar
Accredited school
High school diploma or equivalent
Northeast Iowa Community College, CalmarElectrician certificate or diploma · Accredited schoolIn person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimated$29,700
Price if you pay yourself$10,032
Program website, Commercial-Residential Electrician *COMRES.DP at Northeast Iowa Community College
More details about Commercial-Residential Electrician *COMRES.DP at Northeast Iowa Community College
Finished
90%
Working at 6 months
85%
Earned in a quarter
$7,422
Length
44 weeks, 28 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$2,100
Students counted
23
Earned a year, estimated
$29,700
Price if you pay yourself
$10,032
Program website, Commercial-Residential Electrician *COMRES.DP at Northeast Iowa Community College

How to pay for electrician training in Iowa

WIOA funding can pay for electrician training in Iowa

Every program on this page is approved for it. Whether you qualify, how much your local area pays and how to apply are on our page Does WIOA pay for job training?

Paid electrician apprenticeships

An apprenticeship is a job: you're paid to learn, with a raise as your skills grow, and most include classroom teaching. You apply to the employer or the program sponsor. Ask what you'll pay for the classroom part and what you'll earn on the job.⁶

Financial aid and grants for electrician training

Most students can get federal student aid for college, career school or trade school. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, usually doesn't have to be repaid. Ask the school whether its program qualifies.⁷⁸

GI Bill for electrician training

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.⁹

The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.

Quick facts: Electrician training in Iowa

lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare: 27th of 34
other states where the typical program's graduates earned less: 3 of 21
electrician training programs here, against the typical state's 12: 5 vs 12

State comparisons use the same figures as the electrician training by state table: the middle program of each state, and only states with three or more schools for prices. Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025).

Electrician apprenticeships in Iowa

Most electricians train in a four- or five-year apprenticeship. Each year usually brings about 2,000 hours of paid work on the job plus classes in electrical theory, blueprint reading, math, the electrical code and safety. Unions and contractor associations run most programs, and experience from the military or construction can shorten one. When you finish, you are a journey worker and can work on your own, subject to your state license.¹

You apply to the employer or the program sponsor, not through a school.⁶ The Department of Labor's Apprenticeship Finder lists openings by place and job. None of the electrician training programs on this page is an apprenticeship.

What is an apprenticeship, and can WIOA pay for one?

Electrician training in Sioux City, Omaha and other Iowa cities

Choosing an area filters the program list above. 3 in smaller cities and towns.

Other training in Iowa

How electrician training compares with the rest of skilled trades: Trade school programs in Iowa

Where the Iowa electrician program numbers come from

Which Iowa electrician programs are on this list?

These are the electrician programs Iowa approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).¹⁰ The list here covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what Iowa offers.

How the prices and results of Iowa electrician programs are measured

Prices are tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported them; check the current price with the school. Results describe students who left each program in recent years, so they are no guarantee, and the yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. A program without a "Trained with WIOA funding" line may still take WIOA students. Where a field was left empty or withheld, the page says "Not reported", and "Left out" where a figure was filed but failed one of our checks; nothing is estimated to fill a gap. Where the numbers come from explains each figure in full.

Sources for the facts about electrician training in Iowa

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