Powering Chicago, which brings together IBEW 134 and the Electrical Contractors Association of Chicago, introduced its new “field trip truck” to 3,500 Chicago Public Schools students in March 2022 at the Skilled Trades Career...
Online learning gained enormous popularity when in-person training sessions stopped during the pandemic. Tool manufacturers and suppliers have increased online training for operating, maintaining and safely using tools and...
We’ve probably all torn the house apart trying to find our car keys, only to look down and realize they’ve been on the kitchen counter all along. Not being able to recognize the keys from their surroundings might make us late...
It’s no news that electrical contracting firms across the country have been struggling with skilled labor shortages for some years—a condition that’s been highlighted and exacerbated by the pandemic. But electrical...
I was fortunate to have great teachers early in my career. One important lesson I learned was, “Do not try to estimate project types you have never estimated before.” That sounds rather limiting for expanding your knowledge...
While contractors are seeing an unprecedented rise in line work this year, training programs are ramping up to attract and train high-quality recruits to support the growing number of projects. Contractors, utilities and line...
In the last two years, the most basic concepts about the design and operation of business organizations have undergone more rethinking than at any other time in the last 300 years. In 1722, John Lombe and his brothers...
On May 20, 2020, a Black female apprentice plumber experienced an overwhelming sense of dread seeing a noose hanging at a construction site in downtown Portland, Ore. She reported seeing the symbol of Black oppression to her...
Workforce development initiatives, including the enhancement and expansion of registered apprenticeship programs such as those of the IBEW-NECA Electrical Training Alliance, Bowie, Md., stand to get a big boost from Congress...
I closed the January year-in-review column with, “Like I say every year, it’s always good to invest in training.” High-tech fields such as fiber optics are always changing, and you have to keep up with technology or risk...
One of my favorite quotes from the motivational guru, Zig Ziglar is, “If you keep on doing what you’re doing, you will keep getting what you’re getting!” If you presently work for a contractor, do you wait for the owner or...
In mountainous terrain inhabited by bears and moose, and sparsely populated by humans, electric utilities of varying sizes operate with a patchwork of hydropower, natural gas and diesel-powered generation. Extreme weather...
To provide mobility in the licensure process, the National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies (NASCLA) offers three separate open-book electrical trade examinations through the NASCLA Accredited Electrical...
Buildings have long been established as a major contributor of carbon emissions, so industry leaders are developing standards for new building construction to address the problem. In October, the International Code Council...
A record number of attendees participated in the 10th annual Grid Security Conference (GridSecCon), which was held on Oct. 19-20, 2021 in Washington, D.C. “More than 850 security experts from across North America attended the...
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...
