The solar industry, one of the fastest growing industries in the world, has experienced an average annual growth rate of 42% over the last decade, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), Washington, D.C...
As the energy industry changes, employment opportunities grow. California has announced a series of grants to help build a workforce for carbon-neutral energy technology. The program offers funding for job training in a...
A new training program from the Business Network for Offshore Wind, Towson, Md., a nonprofit focused on developing a robust offshore wind supply chain, aims to help U.S.-based businesses enter the offshore wind industry...
As one of seven NECA chapters focused on outside electrical construction, American Line Builders (ALB) represents 41 electrical contractors in the District of Columbia, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio...
Since mid-March 2020, the Blue Cross-Blue Shield (BCBS) headquarters has been eerily quiet, staffed mostly by a skeleton crew of electricians and building engineers. As with many businesses across the country and world, the...
Electrical contractors have known for a number of years that they need to either introduce or improve existing recruiting strategies to bring workers into the trade. The demand for electricians continues to increase, while...
Recently, I presented a webinar, “How Investing in Your Employees Pays Off.” We conducted a poll and asked the participants what their company’s No. 1 asset is. To little surprise, the overwhelming response was employees. If...
E lectrical contractors are known for having robust apprenticeship programs for people entering the trade—but what about mentoring up-and-coming professionals for future executive positions? Industry experts share various...
Employers are increasingly recognizing the value of STEM education in the development of capable students who will eventually be qualified workers. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math—four academic...
According to a recent survey published by Newsweek, Dunwoody College of Technology, Minneapolis, is ranked 20th in the nation in terms of graduates who earn the highest amount of money with their community college degrees...
The new year is always a good time to think about the future. In 2020, many of us were strictly focused on keeping our businesses afloat, trying to maintain a stable workforce and following mandated guidelines to prevent the...
More than 80 people began their careers as apprentice electricians with the East Midlands Electricity Board (EMEB) in September of 1971. 2021 marks 50 years since the 1971 class of apprentices—who would now be in their mid...
When the novel coronavirus struck the United States in March, the Carolinas Electrical Training Institute (CETI), Charlotte, N.C., and the Electrical Training Alliance of Jacksonville (ETAJ), Jacksonville, Fla., were...
The year 2020 has been challenging and more unusual than any other we have experienced and is one that will certainly stay with us for a long time. We’ve seen a worldwide pandemic affecting each one of us as well as the...
In the electrical contracting industry, safety is a core value that requires top-down commitment from leadership in order to be internalized by all employees. Here, executives from electrical contracting firms nationwide...
I often tell the young people I mentor to always remember that they have two ears and one mouth, just to simply remind them to listen twice as often as they speak. This is advice I have received from multiple mentors...
This year’s NECA convention is going to be a little different than usual. Come October, you can sit in your home office or on your couch, a snack or cup of coffee in hand, open your computer screen and navigate to NECA 2020...
Social distancing, self-quarantining, travel restrictions. It’s no secret, COVID-19 has upended business as usual. Is 2020 over yet? Before I go further, I truly hope this column finds you and your family safe and well during...
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration outreach programs help employers to achieve a safer workplace; examples include the OSHA Alliance Program, OSHA Strategic Partnership Program, Voluntary Protection Programs...
Pre-apprenticeship programs help bring greater gender parity to the trades When it comes to women’s participation in electrical construction, the numbers are bad. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2018, just 2.4...
