On Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, the NECA Show welcomed approximately 450 apprentices from the Las Vegas region and more for Apprentice Appreciation Day.

The event included presentations from several speakers. Mike Holt, founder of Mike Holt Enterprises and a regular contributor to ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR Magazine, talked to the apprentices about his life story and some of the adventures he’s been on (including being a barefoot water ski champion). He also spoke about his love for apprentices and the industry, and gave attendees some tips for succeeding and finding the aspect of the industry that matches who they are, as well as the importance of being grateful to those who guide you in the industry.

Other speakers included Ryan Griffith, founder of Wire You Mad; Todd Stafford, executive director of the Electrical Training Alliance; Steve Richman, CEO of Techtronic Industries and group president at Milwaukee Tool; and keynote speaker Nic Bittle of NicBittle.com. There were also two panel discussions, one focused on inside wire work and the other on outside line work. After the morning presentations, apprentices had the opportunity to walk the trade show floor for networking, learning and some friendly competition in High Voltage Village.

Before the day’s activities began, I spoke to a group of apprentices from IBEW Local 357 about their experiences with apprenticeship and their impressions of the electrical construction industry so far. 

“I enjoy the learning aspect and how diverse it is, because you get to work with so many different people. And for me, at least, I’m learning how to think and problem-solve, so I really enjoy that and I look forward to just getting better,” said Smilj Klein, a second-year inside wire apprentice with Morse Electric Inc, Las Vegas.

“The thing I like about being an apprentice is how much stuff you figure out that you’ve got to learn, and the challenge ahead of learning everything. I like having a challenge. The more you start to learn how much you really got to learn and how much fun you’re about to have. The challenge is fun to me … and learning how to really do a good job as a journeyman, especially in Las Vegas,” said James Stuart, a fourth-year inside wire apprentice with Bombard Electric, Las Vegas.

Stuart also said he appreciates the apprenticeship learning process, and how it helps you find out how to learn the trade. “You get to learn for yourself, and do it yourself too. It’s a team learning aspect, but you still get the individual [attention]. And I guess that’s probably why a lot of guys are teachers, because they got to learn it the way they get there, and then they can teach it better that way,” he said.

Two of the apprentices I spoke to, Leah and Andrew Remigio, were brother and sister. Leah, a second-year inside wire apprentice with Cupertino Electric Inc., San Jose, Calif., initially graduated from a four-year college with three degrees before becoming an apprentice. “Honestly, being in the trade and joining this apprenticeship, it’s just giving me such a solid identity of who I am,” she said.

Her brother Andrew Remigio is a fourth-year inside wire apprentice with Bombard Electric. Unlike his sister, he joined the trade almost straight out of high school. “I’m 23 years old. I got into the trade when I was 19,” he said. “When I graduated from high school, I kind of felt like I wasn’t following the path that they taught you, [which] was to go to college, so I kind of went off the beaten path and I decided to go into the trades. The whole reason why I did that was ‘cause my dad was telling me that just ‘cause you have a college degree doesn’t guarantee you a job. So I got into the apprenticeship program and I got it on the first try.”

Andrew also spoke about what he enjoys about the trade. “I love being part of this trade because it’s constantly evolving, and you feel like you’re part of helping contribute to the world, making it a better place. The world always needs electricity, especially in the future.

“I do look forward to seeing what the trade has to offer for me in the future,” he continued. “Being at this NECA convention has allowed me to reach out to different people in the electrical trade that’s outside of our state … It’s allowed me to connect with these people, see how they do things differently. Maybe how they open up their own shop, different things like that, so we’re able to get that interpersonal connection with different people in trade.” 

He also offered some advice to his fellow apprentices: “The best advice I can give as being an apprentice who’s going to journey out soon would be to never stop learning. The moment you stop learning, it’s a bad mindset … Don’t cap yourself. There’s so much opportunity in this trade, and just keep constantly learning, go for those different leadership roles.”

One thing that Stuart, Klein, Leah Remigio and Andrew Remigio all wholeheartedly agreed on was the “brotherhood” they feel among their fellow apprentices and within the industry, describing each other as “brothers and sisters” in the trade.

“The interpersonal relationships that I come into contact with and I make, that’s everything to me,” said Leah Remigio. “We’re all in the same boat, and whether it’s a bad job or a good job or a good construction site that you’re at like, you’re all in it together, and that right there, it’s great because that’s how you create such lifelong bonds with people. And for me, friendships. I’ve made friends. I think that are honestly going to be lifelong friends here. The whole camaraderie with people and just knowing who’s who, and you just make all these friends, that’s huge. You can’t find it anywhere else. That’s what this ‘brotherhood’ is. We’re just a huge, big family at the end and you make such lifelong friends after your apprenticeship. Like thank you for being there for me, it’s just awesome. That’s one of the best things I can say about joining the apprenticeship program.” 

“I love being part of the IBW Local 357 because it’s not just a job; it’s a career and it’s a brotherhood, and we treat each other as brothers and sisters first, and then as co-workers second,” Andrew Remigio concurred. “We’re constantly looking out for each other, and it just makes building Las Vegas that much better. You’re building it with your brothers and your sisters."