Better applicants.
Less sorting.
The PlumbSquare Common Application pre-screens candidates before they contact you. By the time a packet hits your desk, the candidate has confirmed their documents, their education, their test status, and their willingness to start.
Same docs. Every program. By hand. Twice.
Candidate calls every JATC individually
Candidate applies once, gets matched to programs they qualify for
Coordinator spends 20 min per incomplete application
Pre-screened packets with all required docs confirmed
Candidate fails aptitude test cold — retest delay
Candidates who apply have completed at least basic test prep
Candidate shows up without birth certificate — sent home
Checklist confirms docs in hand before they apply
No way to find relocation-willing candidates in other states
Geographic mobility filter surfaces candidates who will move to your market
Standard candidate packet.
Every applicant who reaches you through PlumbSquare has completed these fields. You can add your own supplemental questions on top — interview scheduling, jurisdiction residency confirmation, specific contractor sponsorship requirements.
Your aptitude test, in-person interview, jurisdiction residency verification, and contractor sponsorship requirements remain yours. The common application handles the paperwork layer — it doesn't replace the evaluation layer. Programs control their own selection process.
Three names.
One test.
The standard IBEW electrical aptitude test (69 questions: 33 algebra + 36 reading, scored 1–9) is published by the Electrical Training Alliance and developed by the American Institutes for Research. You'll see it listed as the NJATC test, the ETA test, or the AIR test — same instrument.
PlumbSquare surfaces candidates' scores upfront. If a candidate has already passed at another ETA-using JATC, many programs accept that score with a formal score transfer — no retest needed. We tell candidates to confirm your specific policy and initiate the transfer if applicable.
Nevada has 998 electrician apprentices.
It needs thousands.
PlumbSquare surfaces candidates who explicitly flag willingness to relocate, filtered by which shortage states they'll consider. An IBEW local in Las Vegas receives a pre-screened candidate packet from a motivated 18-year-old in Virginia who has confirmed their documents, passed their aptitude test prep, and is ready to move. That's a different candidate than a cold application.
Source: Best Trade Schools shortage index (job openings ÷ trained workers), May 2026
Programs accepting the common application.
How it works for you.
Tell us your requirements: jurisdiction, algebra standard, in-person vs. online, application fee. We display exactly what candidates need.
PlumbSquare walks candidates through every requirement. Only candidates who confirm they meet yours see your program in results.
Standard PDF packet with all common fields plus a readiness summary. You decide how to proceed — we just hand off a cleaner first contact.
Aptitude test, interview, selection — yours. We don't touch your evaluation. We just removed the paperwork layer.
List your program.
It's free.
We're building the infrastructure that should have existed for trade apprenticeships for decades. Your program listing is free. Verified programs get priority placement in search results, the open tracker, and the common application matching engine.
Programs in shortage states (NV, AZ, FL, TX, NC, GA) get featured placement automatically.