Maryland electrician schools offer four-year apprenticeship programs to teach students the skills needed to become licensed electricians. Most programs require four years of schooling to complete so students should prepare to commit that amount of time to their schooling. Most of the learning is done on-the-job under the guidance of a licensed electrician. Students work full time and earn approximately 30%- 50% of the wage of their mentor. They also spend approximately 150 hours a year in the classroom attending courses on residential wiring, National Electrical Code (NEC), commercial wiring, motor controls, blueprint reading, occupational safety and hazards, industrial wiring systems, and AC theory.
Students are expected to take a state certification test to obtain licensing. The Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation authority confers electrician licenses within the state. Licensed electricians in Maryland will enjoy being employed in an expanding field. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the trade to grow at a healthy pace of 12% by 2018.