How long does a Virginia electrician apprenticeship take?

Most Virginia electrician apprenticeships run 4 to 5 years. Union IBEW programs run the full 5-year schedule with 8,000 field hours and 900 classroom hours. Non-union programs through ABC Virginia and IEC Chesapeake wrap in 4 years with 8,000 field hours and 576 classroom hours. Apprentices who stack community college coursework ahead of time can sometimes finish 6 to 12 months faster.