The apprentoce system is the best way. The course work is often offered for free or low tuition by most state licensing boards, or by a statewide powwr corporation.
No need to pay for the courses if a yougster is willing to travel out of state for his tickets.
My step grand daughter is the first female lineman in the province where I live, ( super athletic).She can out climb most of the 50 men on her line crew.
My son is studying to be an electrician. He did the Union classes and did well on the exams. But after he got on the lists when a job would come up they wanted him “right then” and he was already working two jobs. He also said if the work was anything like the classroom instruction (took 8 hours to cover 2 hours of material) he didn’t want anything to do with the Union. (I had warned him previously, but...)
He will wrap up his course of study at the community college instead this fall. He is very good at whatever he sets his mind to so he should be able to well for himself.
I met a guy that has a young son that went the private route starting off in the parts department and learning the trade. He is also into climbing. The company sent him to some special course and now he is one of the few electricians around that rappels off of buildings and cranes to do high work. He makes REALLY good money on those jobs.