Minnesota is one of the states that takes electrical licensing most seriously. Every person who does electrical work for a contractor needs a state credential, from a first-week helper to a master electrician, and the state counts your experience month by month in specific categories of work before it lets you sit for an exam. The rules come from the Minnesota Electrical Act and the Board of Electricity, and the Department of Labor and Industry runs the day-to-day licensing.

This guide walks through the whole path in order: who regulates what, how to register on your first day, every apprenticeship sponsor the state lists, how the experience schedule works, the journeyworker and master exams, other license types, the contractor license, how permits and inspections differ in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, and Rochester, the code edition, reciprocity, renewal, and pay. Each requirement links to the statute, rule, or office behind it, so you can check the source yourself.

Who licenses electricians in Minnesota?

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) issues electrical licenses and registrations, schedules and gives the exams, and inspects electrical work across most of the state. The Board of Electricity, a separate board housed within DLI, adopts the electrical code and writes the licensing rules. The law itself sits in the Minnesota Electrical Act, Minn. Stat. 326B.31 to 326B.399, and the license requirements are in Minn. Stat. 326B.33.

Four rules from the statute shape everything else in this guide:

• A license or registration to do the work. Under 326B.33, subd. 12, an unlicensed individual may not do electrical work that requires a license unless they have first registered with DLI and work under the direct supervision of someone licensed to do that work.
• Same employer, limited ratio. The licensed electrician and the unlicensed worker must work for the same employer, and a licensed electrician may supervise no more than two unlicensed individuals, or three on technology circuits or systems work.
• A contractor license to run the business. Under 326B.33, subd. 14, no one other than an employee, partner, or officer of a licensed contractor may perform or offer to perform electrical work without a contractor license.
• Experience counts only if registered. Under 326B.33, subd. 13, Minnesota experience gained after January 1, 2009 does not count toward a license unless you were registered with or licensed by DLI at the time.

The statute also lists exemptions in 326B.33, subd. 21. Among them: a homeowner working on a home they own and occupy, or will occupy, if it has its own electric service; utility employees working on utility-owned systems; and heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and refrigeration contractors doing the work described in 326B.38. DLI applications and renewals run through its online system, iMS, and anyone can check a license with the DLI license and registration lookup.

Minnesota electrician license types

Minnesota has a wider range of personal electrical licenses than most states. Minn. Stat. 326B.33 sets out each one and its experience requirement:

• Registered unlicensed electrician: the entry-level registration for anyone 17 or older doing electrical work without a license. No exam.
• Class A journeyworker electrician: the main working license. Requires 48 months of acceptable experience and an exam.
• Class A master electrician: the top personal license, and the only one (with the power limited technician) allowed to plan and lay out electrical work. Requires a degree, a year as a journeyworker, or five years of experience, plus an exam.
• Maintenance electrician: maintains and repairs equipment for a contractor or for a single employer on its own property. Requires 48 months of experience.
• Power limited technician: covers technology circuits and systems such as alarm, communication, and control wiring. Requires 36 months of experience or a four-year electrical degree.
• Lineman: works on utility transmission and distribution systems. Requires 48 months of utility experience.
• Elevator constructor and master elevator constructor: elevator and escalator wiring, at 36 and 60 months of experience.
• Class B installer and satellite system installer: narrow licenses for irrigation booms on farmsteads and for residential satellite systems.

Two older credentials are closed to new applicants. Minnesota stopped issuing new Class B journeyworker and Class B master licenses on August 1, 1985, and new Class A installer licenses on December 1, 2007. People who already held them may keep renewing them. DLI summarizes the personal licenses on its electrical licensing basics page.

Step one: register as an unlicensed electrician

Because Minnesota requires a state credential for anyone doing electrical work for a contractor, your first move is a DLI registration, not a license. It is quick and requires no exam, but it matters more than it looks: without it, the months you work don’t count toward a license.

• Who must register: anyone 17 or older who does not hold an electrical license and performs electrical work for a contractor or employer, under Minn. R. 3800.3525.
• Fees: $14 for a new registration, $19 to renew before it expires, and $24 to renew or reinstate an expired registration, according to the DLI registered unlicensed electrician page.
• Term: one year. The registration expires on the last day of the month in which you registered.
• Continuing education: two hours of DLI-approved education on the electrical code before each yearly renewal.
• Experience report: each renewal includes a work experience verification form listing your employers and the class of work you did.
• Supervision: you must be directly supervised at all times by a licensed journeyworker or master electrician who works for the same licensed contractor or registered employer.

DLI assigns a registration number that starts with the letters “RE,” and you must carry the registration card on the job and show it to an inspector on request. Apply online through iMS or on the paper forms on the DLI electrical licensing forms page.

Minnesota electrical apprenticeship programs

Minnesota’s license law counts months of acceptable experience, not program completion, so an apprenticeship is not the only way to qualify for the journeyworker exam. It is still the most common and best-organized route because a program finds you work, pays you while you learn, and tracks your hours. DLI keeps a list of construction electrician apprenticeship programs (updated October 9, 2026) with contacts and application details for each sponsor.

Union programs (IBEW and NECA)

Five joint apprenticeship and training committees (JATCs) run union inside-electrician programs in Minnesota. Each is a partnership between an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) local and a chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA).

• Minneapolis Electrical JATC (IBEW Local 292 and Twin Cities NECA): a five-year program with its training center in St. Michael. Applications cost $40 and include the GAN aptitude test battery, which makes up half of your application score. Application deadlines are quarterly.
• St. Paul Electrical JATC (IBEW Local 110): applications are accepted year-round, cost $45, and stay open for a year. Aptitude tests are scheduled as needed, usually about quarterly.
• South Central Minnesota Electrical JATC (IBEW Local 343), based in Rochester: a five-year, 8,000-hour program with 180 hours of classroom training a year. Applications are accepted year-round for a $40 fee, and hiring usually happens between April and August.
• IBEW/NECA Twin Ports Electrical JATC (IBEW Local 242), based in Duluth: rolling applications with a $26.50 fee. To qualify for the next aptitude test, you must apply by the last Friday in December, and the test is given the last Monday in February.
• Iron Range Electrical JATC (IBEW Local 294): run from the same Duluth office as the Twin Ports program, with the same December deadline and an aptitude test on the third Friday in February.

The Twin Ports and Iron Range committees use an aptitude test with an algebra and functions section of 33 questions in 46 minutes and a reading comprehension section of 36 questions in 51 minutes, and you need a passing score to be interviewed. To see where you stand before test day, try our timed practice version of the electrical aptitude test. Twin Cities NECA explains how the metro programs fit together on its apprenticeship page.

Open-shop and employer programs

• Associated Builders and Contractors of Minnesota and North Dakota: a registered apprenticeship of three to five years. A participating ABC member contractor hires you first and then enrolls you. DLI notes there are no application fees or aptitude tests, and ABC posts its list of participating contractors.
• Design Electric: a contractor-sponsored program with locations in St. Cloud, Plainview, and Hutchinson. DLI lists rolling applications, a process of about one to two weeks, and no aptitude test.
• Electrical Association: a Minneapolis-based contractor association whose apprenticeship program is open year-round. DLI lists a $250 application fee that the employer pays once the application is approved. Its four-year training course meets online one night a week from September to May.

Colleges and technical schools

A two-year electrical program can count for up to one year of the 48 months you need for the journeyworker exam, but only if DLI approved the program. New rules adopted in 2026, Minn. R. 3800.4000 to 3800.4055, set out how a program earns that approval: it must be a postsecondary program that awards a diploma or an associate of applied science degree.

• Dunwoody College of Technology, Electrical Construction and Maintenance AAS: a two-year, four-semester program in Minneapolis that the college lists as a Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry approved two-year electrical program.
• Saint Paul College, Electrical Technology: a diploma program in St. Paul. Ask the college whether the version you enroll in carries DLI approval for experience credit.

Note that school time and work time do not stack. Under Minn. R. 3800.3520, subp. 3, you get no work experience credit for the months you spend in the school term of a full-time, department-approved program, so the program replaces up to a year of field experience rather than adding to it.

How Minnesota counts electrical experience

This is the part of Minnesota’s system that surprises people moving from other states. The requirement isn’t a single total number of hours. Minn. R. 3800.3520 sets a minimum total in months for each license, then a minimum and a maximum for each work category within that total. DLI repeats the full schedule on its license experience and education page.

Class A journeyworker electrician: 48 months

• Wiring and installing: at least 24 months, and up to 48 months can count.
• Maintaining and repairing: up to 24 months.
• Process control circuits or systems: up to 12 months.
• Technology circuits or systems: up to six months.
• Installing elevators: up to six months.
• Line work: up to three months.
• Planning, laying out, and supervising: no credit at this level.
• School: up to one year for an approved two-year post-high school electrical course.

Limits that apply to every license

• Before age 17: no credit.
• Work in other countries: no more than 12 months.
• Where experience counts: work for a Minnesota-licensed contractor; work for a Minnesota employer that is not a contractor, if it was inspected and supervised by a properly licensed electrician; work in another state that DLI finds substantially equivalent, based on your employer’s certification; and military electrical work, based on a military certification.
• Registration: Minnesota experience after January 1, 2009 counts only while you were registered or licensed.

Document your months on DLI’s work experience verification form, and check the hours DLI already has on file through your iMS account. Keep your own records of employers, dates, and the type of work you did, because the category limits mean the kind of work matters as much as the time. For a broader look at timelines across states, see our guide on how many years the path to a license usually takes.

How to get your Minnesota journeyworker electrician license

Once you have 48 months of acceptable experience, the Class A journeyworker license is a written exam away. Under 326B.33, subd. 2, a journeyworker may perform and supervise electrical work, except for planning and laying out, for a licensed contractor. DLI describes the steps on its electrical licensing basics page:

• Apply to take the exam. Use the personal electrical license examination application or apply online in iMS, and attach your electrical work experience verification forms. You can upload any forms you have not already submitted.
• Pay the fee. The application and examination fee is $50, set by Minn. Stat. 326B.092. It is nonrefundable and separate from the license fee.
• Pass the exam. DLI emails scheduling instructions once it approves your application.
• Pay the license fee. The license fee is due after you pass and before DLI issues the license.
• Renew every two years. Journeyworker licenses expire at the end of the month in which the license was first issued, every two years.

To get credit for experience from another state, you need verifiable work for a licensed electrical contractor in that state. If you hold a license from another state, check the reciprocity section below first, because some states let you skip the exam entirely.

The Minnesota electrician exam

Minnesota is unusual because the state writes and administers its own electrician exams rather than using a national testing company. Under 326B.33, subd. 18, every applicant for a personal license must pass a written exam developed and administered by the commissioner. An oral exam is available only to applicants with a written statement from a certified teacher or another trained professional confirming a reading disability.

• Where you test: DLI’s St. Paul office gives exams on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, except in weeks with a state holiday. DLI also tests at sites in Bemidji, Detroit Lakes, Duluth, Mankato, Moorhead, Rochester, St. Cloud, Virginia, Willmar, and Winona, according to its license exam schedule.
• Time limit: 5.5 hours for every electrical exam.
• Scheduling: after DLI approves your application, you’ll receive an email and schedule the exam in iMS, where you can see the dates and locations available for your exam type. Not every exam is given every day.
• Retesting: If you need to retake an exam, submit the application form and fee again, without new work verification, per the DLI exam application.
• Code edition: Minnesota adopted the 2026 National Electrical Code effective August 17, 2026, so expect current study materials to follow that edition.

DLI is the only reliable source for what you may bring into the exam room and how the exam is scored, so read the instructions that come with your approval email closely. To get used to code-based questions before you apply, work through our free practice questions on the National Electrical Code.

Becoming a master electrician in Minnesota

The Class A master electrician license is the top personal license in Minnesota. Under 326B.33, subd. 1 and subd. 12, only a master electrician or a power limited technician may plan or lay out electrical work, and every electrical contractor must name a master electrician as its responsible licensed individual. You qualify for the master exam with any one of these:

• An electrical engineering degree: a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from an accredited college or university, as defined in Minn. R. 3800.3500.
• One year as a journeyworker: at least one year of experience, acceptable to the commissioner, as a licensed journeyworker.
• Five years of experience: 60 months under the schedule in Minn. R. 3800.3520, subp. 5, including at least two months each of planning, laying out, and supervising, and at least 12 months of wiring and installing.

You apply on the same personal electrical license exam application, with the same $50 fee, and pay for the license after you pass. Master licenses expire on the last day of February in odd-numbered years, and renewing costs $93 with 16 hours of continuing education. DLI lays out the master requirements on its licensing basics page.

Other Minnesota electrical licenses

Not every electrician in Minnesota follows the journeyworker and master track. Minn. R. 3800.3520 sets separate experience schedules for several narrower licenses:

• Maintenance electrician (48 months): at least 24 months must be maintaining and repairing, with up to 24 months of wiring and installing. This license lets you maintain and repair equipment for a contractor, or as a full-time employee of a single employer on property that employer owns or leases.
• Power limited technician (36 months): at least 12 months of installing technology circuit or system wiring. A four-year electrical degree qualifies on its own, and an approved program can count for up to 12 months, or 2,000 hours. Power limited technicians need 16 hours of continuing education per renewal, with at least four on the National Electrical Code.
• Lineman (48 months): at least 24 months of line work for an electric utility.
• Elevator constructor (36 months) and master elevator constructor (60 months): experience on elevator and escalator wiring.
• Class B installer (12 months): limited to center pivot irrigation booms on farmsteads and other equipment the commissioner approves.

Each requires its own exam, selected on the same DLI exam application. If you work in a plant or facility rather than for a contractor, also read DLI’s rules on maintenance work, because an employer can file a certificate of responsible person instead of licensing each maintenance worker, under 326B.33, subd. 21.

Getting a Minnesota electrical contractor license

Any business or individual that contracts to perform electrical work in Minnesota needs an electrical contractor license, though employees of a licensed contractor do not need their own. General contractors that hire licensed electrical subcontractors do not need one either. The DLI contractor licensing basics page lists the requirements:

• A responsible licensed individual: an active master electrician who is an owner, officer, or member, or a W-2 employee actively engaged in the company’s electrical work who is not employed as an electrician by anyone else. One master may serve only one contractor.
• A surety bond: $25,000, on a DLI-approved form, under 326B.33, subd. 15.
• Liability insurance: at least $100,000 per occurrence, $300,000 aggregate, and $50,000 in property damage coverage, written by an insurer licensed in Minnesota, under subd. 16.
• Workers’ compensation: proof on a DLI-approved form.
• Owner disclosure: a list of the business’s owners, partners, officers, and members.
• Fee: $188 for the initial license and each renewal.
• Expiration: the last day of February in even-numbered years.

A licensed contractor must pull electrical permits before work begins, call for inspections, keep records of the work experience of its unlicensed employees, put its license number on company vehicles, and notify DLI in writing within 15 days if it loses its responsible master electrician. The class of work a contractor may do is limited to what its responsible licensed individual is licensed to do, under 326B.33, subd. 17.

Permits and inspections in Minnesota cities

Your license comes from the state wherever you work in Minnesota. What changes from place to place is who issues electrical permits and inspects the work. DLI handles electrical inspection across most of the state, but its permit instructions note that approximately 66 cities have adopted local electrical inspection authority and may use their own forms and fees. DLI tells contractors not to apply for a state permit in those cities.

To find out who has authority for a specific address, use DLI’s Local Code Lookup, which shows whether the state or the local government handles electrical inspection and lists the inspector. State permits are filed through the DLI permits page. The largest cities look like this:

Minneapolis

• Who inspects: DLI publishes a Minneapolis electrical inspection district map (revised December 29, 2025) that splits the city into six districts, each with a named state electrical inspector and phone number.
• Scheduling: the map tells permit holders to use the “Ready for Inspection” toggle on the permit to schedule an inspection.
• Training: the Minneapolis Electrical JATC and the Electrical Association both serve the city, and Dunwoody College is in Minneapolis.

St. Paul

• Who inspects: the city’s Department of Safety and Inspections handles its own electrical permits and inspections. See the St. Paul electrical permits and inspections page for permit types and fees.
• Permit types: St. Paul issues separate electrical permits for circuits and service work, fire alarm systems, smoke detectors, solar systems, and swimming pools.
• Training: The St. Paul Electrical JATC and Saint Paul College are both in the city.

Duluth

• Who inspects: Since June 4, 2024, the state. The city announced in a May 31, 2024 press release that it was delegating residential and commercial electrical permitting and inspections to DLI, and that all new electrical permits go through the state.
• Training: The Twin Ports and Iron Range JATCs share an office on London Road in Duluth, and DLI holds exams in the city.

Rochester

• Permits: Rochester’s Building and Renovating page says a building permit does not include trade work, and electrical work needs its own permit.
• Permit timing: work under a city permit must begin within 180 days of issuance and keep progressing, or the permit can expire.
• Training: the South Central Minnesota Electrical JATC is based in Rochester, and DLI tests there.

Greater Minnesota

Outside the cities with their own programs, DLI is the inspection authority, and contractors and homeowners file state electrical permits online. The Local Code Lookup is the quickest way to confirm the inspector for a town, and it covers places such as St. Cloud, Mankato, Moorhead, and Bemidji. DLI also issues electrical permits to homeowners who do their own work under the 326B.33, subd. 21(f) exemption.

Which electrical code applies in Minnesota?

The Minnesota Electrical Code is Minn. R. 1315.0200, which requires new electrical wiring and equipment to comply with the 2026 edition of the National Electrical Code, along with Minn. Stat. 326B.35 and the State Building Code. Under 326B.32, the Board of Electricity must adopt the most current edition of the National Electrical Code.

• Effective date: The Board filed the 2026 rule with the Secretary of State on July 20, 2026, and DLI’s rulemaking docket for chapter 1315 gives the effective date as August 17, 2026.
• Exams and training: study materials and continuing education courses follow the code edition, so check which edition a course or book covers before you buy it.
• Local rules: 326B.35 lets a political subdivision enforce more stringent requirements, so ask the local inspector about any additions in cities with their own programs.

Minnesota electrician reciprocity

Under 326B.33, subd. 20, DLI may enter reciprocity agreements approved by the Board of Electricity with states that run comparable statewide licensing programs. The DLI reciprocity page lists the current agreements:

• Class A journeyworker: available without an exam if you earned your journeyworker license by exam in Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, or Wyoming. A master-level license from those states also qualifies for the Minnesota journeyworker license.
• Class A master: available without an exam if you earned your master license by exam in Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, or Nebraska.
• Conditions: the license must have been earned by a state-level exam, not through a city or another reciprocal agreement; you must have held it for at least one year; it must be current and in good standing; and you must not have failed the same or a higher Minnesota exam.
• Fees: the $50 application and exam fee with the application, then the license fee once DLI approves it.

Electricians from other states can still qualify for the Minnesota exam by documenting verifiable work for a licensed electrical contractor in their home state. Minnesota licensees who let a license lapse for two years or more must retake the exam to regain the same class of license.

Renewal and continuing education

Minnesota electrical licenses run on two-year cycles, but the expiration dates differ by license type, under 326B.33, subd. 19. Continuing education comes from Minn. R. 3800.3602:

• Journeyworker: expires two years after it was first issued and every two years after that, at the end of the month of original issue. 16 hours of continuing education, with at least 12 on the National Electrical Code. DLI lists the renewal fee as $53, with a $20 late fee.
• Master: expires on the last day of February in odd-numbered years. 16 hours, at least 12 on the National Electrical Code. DLI lists the renewal fee as $93, with a $40 late fee.
• Maintenance electrician, Class A and B installers: 16 hours, at least 12 on the National Electrical Code.
• Power limited technician: 16 hours, at least four on the National Electrical Code.
• Registered unlicensed electrician: renews every year with two hours on the National Electrical Code.
• Contractor: expires on the last day of February in even-numbered years.

The remaining 16 hours can cover Minnesota’s electrical statutes and rules or technical topics related to electrical installations. Only DLI-approved courses count, and you can search them with the DLI continuing education course search. A few rules worth knowing:

• First renewal: the continuing education requirement applies once you have held the license for at least 24 months.
• Each course counts once for a given renewal, but if you hold more than one license type, the same hours can apply to each.
• Late renewal: under 326B.092, a renewal received after expiration carries a late fee, and a renewal within two years of expiration also requires the fees for the period the license was expired.
• Long lapses: after two years, you cannot simply renew. DLI’s reciprocity page notes that a Minnesota license not renewed within two years of expiration means retaking the exam.

How much do electricians make in Minnesota?

Minnesota electricians earn well above the national median. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ state Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (select Minnesota) show these figures for electricians as of May 2025:

• Median annual wage: $78,160 ($37.58 an hour).
• Mean annual wage: $80,830 ($38.86 an hour).
• Lowest-paid 10 percent: $47,480 or less.
• Middle half: between $58,430 and $101,410.
• Highest-paid 10 percent: $118,820 or more.
• Employment: about 14,350 electricians statewide.

For comparison, the national median for electricians was $63,190 in May 2025, with the top 10 percent earning more than $108,510, according to BLS national data. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 9 percent employment growth for electricians nationally from 2024 to 2034.

Apprentices earn less while they train, with raises as they complete hours and classes. Each program sets its own wage steps, and the Minneapolis Electrical JATC posts its wage information on its applicant page, so ask for the scale when you apply.

Minnesota electrical licensing at a glance

The main Minnesota credentials side by side, from Minn. Stat. 326B.33, Minn. R. 3800.3520, and DLI’s published fees. Fees change, so confirm them with DLI before you apply.

Credential	Experience to qualify	Exam	Fees	Renewal and CE	Where to apply
Registered unlicensed electrician	None; age 17+, direct supervision	None	$14 new; $19 renewal	Every year; 2 hours	DLI registration
Class A journeyworker	48 months, 24+ wiring and installing	DLI exam, 5.5 hours	$50 exam; $53 renewal	Every 2 years; 16 hours (12 code)	DLI journeyworker
Class A master	EE degree, 1 year as journeyworker, or 60 months	DLI exam, 5.5 hours	$50 exam; $93 renewal	Feb. odd years; 16 hours (12 code)	DLI master
Maintenance electrician	48 months, 24+ maintaining and repairing	DLI exam	$50 exam	Every 2 years; 16 hours	DLI experience rules
Power limited technician	36 months, or a four-year electrical degree	DLI exam	$50 exam	Every 2 years; 16 hours (4 code)	DLI experience rules
Electrical contractor	Responsible master electrician, $25,000 bond, insurance	None	$188 license and renewal	Feb. even years	DLI contractor license

The $50 application and exam fee is nonrefundable. Renewal fees include the base license fee, the board fee, and a continuing education fee set in Minn. Stat. 326B.092.

Step-by-step checklist: becoming an electrician in Minnesota

The full path, from your first job to running your own contracting business. Keep iMS and the DLI licensing basics page handy as you go.

1. Turn 17 and finish school. No experience counts before age 17, and union programs expect a diploma or GED.
2. Choose your route. Apply to a union JATC, an open-shop or employer program, or a DLI-approved two-year school, or hire on with a licensed contractor.
3. Register with DLI before you start work. Without a registration, your Minnesota hours do not count toward a license.
4. Renew your registration every year. Take two hours of code education and report your work experience each time.
5. Track your months by category. You need 48 months, with at least 24 in wiring and installing.
6. Apply for the journeyworker exam. Submit the exam application, your experience verification forms, and the $50 fee.
7. Pass the DLI exam, then pay the license fee. Plan for a 5.5-hour session in St. Paul or at a regional test site.
8. Renew every two years. Complete 16 hours of approved education, at least 12 on the electrical code.
9. Go for master. After a year as a licensed journeyworker, apply for the master exam.
10. Get a contractor license if you start a business. Name a responsible master electrician, post a $25,000 bond, and provide proof of insurance and workers’ compensation coverage.

Frequently asked questions

The bottom line

Becoming an electrician in Minnesota follows one state path, run by the Department of Labor and Industry. Register as an unlicensed electrician on your first day, build 48 months of experience in the right categories, pass the DLI journeyworker exam, and move up to master after a year as a journeyworker. Your city decides only who issues your permits and inspects your work. For current forms, fees, and exam dates, start with the DLI electrical licensing pages and the apprenticeship sponsor that serves your area. Godspeed!

This article is for informational and educational purposes only. Licensing requirements, fees, exam details, and code editions change, and they differ by license type. Confirm current requirements with the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, your local inspection authority, and your apprenticeship program before making decisions about training or employment.