The biggest changes to energy infrastructure in more than a century are happening right now. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration and Wood Mackenzie, the share of renewable energy in the United States is...
Wayne State University, Detroit, took home first place in the 2021 ELECTRI International/NECA Electrical Contracting Innovation Challenge (ECIC). Second place went to Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, and in third place was...
Effective education and training are paramount in creating a safe work environment and establishing a safety culture. However, employers don’t always have the knowledge or familiarity with specific tools, equipment or...
What are your plans for training your workforce? You probably just answered that you cannot find anyone to even fill out a job application, so training plans are not something you are worried about! But as demand grows for...
Several of the Fiber Optic Association’s (FOA) directors are experienced fiber techs and trainers interested in methods of delivering and assessing the effectiveness of online training. Needless to say, our discussions have...
Bringing clarity to contractors about construction safety and OSHA standards has become a quest for Palmer Hickman, director of code and safety curriculum and training at the Electrical Training Alliance, Bowie, Md. He said...
Before COVID-19, it would have been rare to find a first-year electrical apprentice learning DC theory on a laptop at their kitchen table. But since the pandemic, this situation is not so unusual. Joint Apprenticeship...
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...
