The U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon aims to inspire the next generation of clean energy professionals. At the 2022 Competition Event in May, the DOE announced that it would be expanding the program through two new...

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...

For many companies, hiring from a younger generation is key to staying fresh and continuing success. As your shared knowledge begins retiring or even shifting into different roles, an experience vacuum develops. The newest...

While COVID-19 captured headlines in 2021, the story behind the scenes was about the skilled labor shortage. A 2021 third-quarter survey by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and Royal Building Products...

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...

5%–10% of all electricians in America are women, and roughly 10% of electrical contracting firms are woman-owned—seemingly minuscule numbers in the grand scheme of the nation’s 700,000 electricians and 70,000 electrical...

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...

All over the country, our industry faces one common challenge: we do not have enough skilled workers to take on the projects in front of us. This has been a concern for many years, and it has only grown in its urgency as the...

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced that the 2021 National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) will be celebrated November 15–21. The weeklong celebration is designed to allow labor and business leaders, educational...

According to a report from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), Washington, D.C., the number of women employed in the construction industry in the United States grew slightly in 2020, increasing to approximately...

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...

Artificial intelligence, wearables and other smart devices enable contractors to maintain safer job sites, said Jerry Rivera, safety director for NECA’s Washington, D.C., chapter. I caught up with Rivera to learn more about...

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...

Deborah Kelly, a former line constructor in Alaska, loved her work. Until recently, she climbed utility poles with a mostly male crew, doing the heavy work of outdoor line construction and repair in all weather. She couldn’t...

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...

Last year could not have been predicted. There was a pandemic that shut down the worldwide economy, climate change impacts and unprecedented numbers of protests calling for racial justice. In light of the Black Lives Matter...

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...