NECA's 2025 Apprentice Appreciation Day began with one statement from NECA's senior vice president of education, events and partnerships, Pete Mastrorocco: "You all are here because you're dedicated to the industry. You're dedicated to your future." A fitting statement for a generation of apprentices who are so crucial to the coming years of this industry. 

On Sunday, Sept.14, apprentices gathered at Chicago’s McCormick Place West Convention Center to hear speakers, explore the trade show floor and take part in challenges designed to showcase their skills. Plus, this year was the first year outside line apprentices experienced High Voltage Village, which provided learning challenges for both high-step and low-step apprentices as well as an immersive Walking Classroom tour.

Speakers included executive director of the IBEW-NECA Technical Institute, Gene Kent; executive director of the Electrical Training Alliance, Todd Stafford; executive vice president at the Electrical Contractors’ Association of the City of Chicago, Mark Thomas, and more.

The Apprentice Appreciation Day panel featured Don Finn, business manager for IBEW Local 134; Gene Kent, director at the IBEW-NECA Technical Institute; and Mark Thomas, executive vice president of ECA Chicago.

Panel speakers focused on collaboration and workforce development as a necessary priority. The keynote was given by Alex Willis, CEO of Leadership Surge, entrepreneur and construction leadership coach—and former player with the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers—who focused on the enormous potential of this upcoming generation of apprentices and the great need of their growing industry.

A first-year apprentice uses a new Milwaukee bandsaw at the Apprentice Inside Challenge.

And the live learning experiences didn’t end there. Apprentices were able to experiment with tools and tech demonstrations and participated in inside and outside line challenges. Inside apprentices practiced wiring, terminating and using a Milwaukee bandsaw to trim metal conduit. Outside line apprentices participated in activities such as a manhole recovery simulation trailer, Transbanker Mobile Lab and tabletop trainings for creating an Equipotential Zone (EPZ).

High-step apprentices (also called "hot" apprentices) practice building a bank properly on a live Transbanker Mobile Lab as part of the Outside Line Challenge. Some of the apprentices are building delta Y, others are building Y delta. If wired correctly, there should be the proper voltage on the secondary side of the transformers.

Second-step apprentice Andrew Wernsman talks through and then demonstrates the process of EPZ grounding on a tabletop line model at the High Voltage Village apprentice challenge.