A typical sports fan attending a stadium event needs distributed antenna systems (DAS) for clear cellphone reception. Fiber optic cable is also necessary to support game night functions such as lighting controls, gate access, security, giant scoreboards and high-tech sound systems. And fans want Wi-Fi access to see instant replays on demand. 

This reliance on technology, outside of sports fans as well, is shaping skills required by the electrical industry. Generational turnover and federal funding influence preparation of the industry workforce, too.

Around 30% of the electrical workforce are baby boomers, according to Marty Riesberg, director for the Electrical Training Alliance (ETA), Bowie, Md., who oversees the organization’s Training Partner, Preparing for Leadership and Construct Your Future programs. 

“Of course, there is a big concern, can we replace the number of people who are going to retire in the next five to 10 years?” he said.

Right now, inside wire apprentices number around 43,000, Riesberg said. Line apprentices number around 5,000. Telecommunication voice-data-video (VDV) installer technicians number around 2,500.

One plus is that younger generations seem more comfortable handling modern technologies.

“They’ve grown up with it,” Riesberg said, “ETA is conducting a pilot on [virtual reality] instruction. The younger generation is saying, ‘How come you didn’t have this already?’ Whereas the older generation is saying, ‘This might be too much too quick.’”

“I love to use an analogy, which is, ‘Over the last 25 years, we’ve transformed from the Flintstone era to the Jetson era,’” said Jim Simpson, ETA’s director of installer-technician and residential programs. “Technology is 100% driving the need for installer technicians.”

“Manufacturers wholeheartedly support us in building curriculum in terms of general knowledge, not in terms of their specific products,” Riesberg said. “We can’t possibly train on every system. So that’s where their specific knowledge comes in.”

Card readers offer an example of specific training that starts with the manufacturer, goes to electrical contractors, then to journeymen, apprentices or installer technicians in the field.

“That goes for video surveillance systems, fire alarms, intrusion detection systems, lighting systems, many things,” Riesberg said.

Unlimited potential for limited-energy systems

Simpson oversees curriculum development for telecommunications, fiber optics, data networks, fire alarm systems, security and access control systems, video surveillance systems, residential technologies and online curriculum development.

Fault-managed power systems, recently addressed in Article 726 of the 2023 National Electrical Code, offer tremendous installation labor savings because DAS, Wi-Fi, LED lighting, certain building controls and lighting controls don’t require installation of conduit and copper wire. They can be connected via 18- to 16-gauge cable and fiber optics.

Fiber optics, which can run much more data over long distances, “is exploding,” Simpson said. “And it’s everywhere—in traffic signals, roadside cameras, smart city antennas and cellular communications.”

Rural America is also changing, thanks to fiber optics enabling more people to work remotely. It’s revolutionizing the monitoring, harvesting and preparation of crops, Simpson said.

“Demand for limited-energy installer technicians is absolutely going to grow,” Simpson said. “More JATC programs are interested in starting these programs.”

Nationwide, ETA works with 285 inside wire JATCs, and of those, 65 have registered apprenticeship standards for the installer techs.

“Where there’s a strong presence in limited-energy work, and NECA contractors that do that work, that’s going to support a separate installer technician program,” Simpson said.

Minnesota is strong in terms of ECs handling limited-energy work. So is Iowa. Their training centers offer installer technician programs, but other parts of the nation do not have the installer technician numbers to support separate programs, Simpson said.

Even so, limited-energy is popping up everywhere, and people are training for it. ETA textbook sales indicate that 200 JATCs teach content used in the installer technician programs, he said.

“In areas that can’t support separate technician programs, limited-energy instruction is being included in the regular inside wire and residential programs,” he said. “Right now, we’re teetering at about 10,000 tech/installers, and of those, 2,500 to 3,000 are regular apprentices.”

IBEW, NECA and ETA developed the telecom installer classification in the 1990s when the work mix was 85% cabling for phone and computer systems. At that time, electricians seemed reluctant to take on the work, said Heather Anderson, curriculum specialist for the ETA.

Since then, things have changed. As an example, IBEW 347 in Des Moines currently has 94 technicians (journeymen), 30 apprentices and 45 installers (not yet indentured into an apprenticeship), for a total of 169. 

“When I started in 2002, there were about 20–25 total under a low-voltage contract,” Anderson said, who is also an IBEW 347 installer tech and former instructor.

The employer perspective

On the business owner side, Dagostino Electronic Services, Pittsburgh, does not employ technician installers. Instead, the company uses apprentices and journeymen to perform limited-energy work.

President and founder Bob Dagostino started his company 50 years ago, shortly before the AT&T divestiture, which he said yielded many telecommunications installation opportunities.

Within two years, the company began focusing exclusively on low-voltage work. Like Simpson, Dagostino sees no limit to the growth of limited-energy applications, and he’s not worried about older generations working with technology.

“If you’ve got the passion to learn, you’ll stay on the pulse of this industry,” he said.

Today, Dagostino Electronic Services employs about 60 field personnel and 55 support staff to perform limited-energy services for commercial businesses, manufacturing, healthcare, schools and more.

One of many upsides to working with less than 110V, Dagostino said, is that “it doesn’t entail the same level of risk for electrocution as inside wire work.”

Even so, he said, “I do believe there should be consistent standards and terminology when it comes to limited-energy. Low-voltage, limited-energy and power­-limited all refer to low-voltage work. I prefer ‘limited-energy,’” Dagostino said.

Simpson also prefers the term limited-­energy. Riesberg said he is more familiar with low-voltage and VDV.

Dagostino is excited about the possibility of taking on new roles as limited-energy technology continues to advance.

“We believe in work preservation and don’t want to lose work to other trades, but it makes sense for us to work on the programming of HVAC systems and related building controls,” Dagostino said. “With the direction buildings are going, there’s more opportunity than ever for tradesmen to move into operational technologies.”

Cybersecurity is another growing area. One of the hallmarks of good cyber hygiene is an electrical contractor that develops strong relationships with customers’ IT teams. Dagostino Electronic Services takes that a step further and employs IT experts. Other electrical contractors have begun doing the same.

Demand for installer technicians

The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, which allocates $42.45 billion to expand high-speed internet access, is anticipated to increase demand for installer technicians. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates a need for approximately 10,000–20,000 technician installers, Anderson said.

The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, which allocates $42.45 billion to expand high-speed internet access, is anticipated to increase demand for installer technicians. The Department of Labor estimates a need for approximately 10,000–20,000 technician installers.

Another hopeful sign for meeting labor demands is that installer technicians can be trained in four years or less. JATCs offer programs spanning either three years/6,000 hours or four years/8,000 hours.

Technician installer programs also show promise of attracting more women.

“Personally, being a technician and a woman, I think the electrical trades are great for women,” Anderson said. “The installer/tech division tends to be a little less physical than an inside electrician or outside lineman, but at times also requires more patience and finesse, and women do well with it.”

Recruiting pays off

JATCs are training apprentices and journey-­level workers in solar and electric vehicle charging installations. However, to compete with nonunion shops and respond to demand for solar and EV work requiring lower-level skills, NECA-IBEW partnerships have established construction wiremen/construction electrician (CW/CE) categories with hands-on training provided by electrical contractors. These positions open pathways to apprenticeships for those who are interested.

“The ETA is happy to supply training materials for any classification of worker, from apprentice, to journey-level, to CW/CEs,” Riesberg said. “Anything to address the labor shortage and get the business. It’s up to each individual IBEW to decide who they bring in and how many. We [ETA] don’t control who comes into the program. That happens on a local level.”

NECA chapters have aimed apprentice recruitment efforts at high schools. They’ve brought awareness to guidance counselors, students and parents that the electrical trade offers a direct path to a career, pay that starts right away and financial support for advanced degrees.

“We’re seeing more high school graduates around the country, thanks to phenomenal recruitment efforts,” Riesberg said.

“We’re also seeing more people come in with valuable life experience, college degrees or military service,” Riesberg said. “Somebody who’s 29 with a family to feed is going to make a far better candidate to finish and end up with a solid career. It really depends on motivation and attitude.”

Another industry trend driven by new technologies is the rise of megaprojects—solar farms and data centers—requiring hundreds of workers. This puts more weight on the role of foremen and their need for training. 

“Fortunately, skills needed to direct and motivate large workforces to work in concert are the same regardless of the voltage levels,” Riesberg said.

ETA provides an online foreman training series and works with IBEW 7 in Southeast Texas, which developed one of the nation’s most successful foreman training programs open to electricians and electrical contractors throughout the country.

“We’ll continue to be responsive to industry trends in that way,” Riesberg said. “We have committees of all these stakeholders (NECA, IBEW, instructors, businesses, manufacturers, regulatory agencies) who basically help us see where we need to focus.”

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