• Posted: July 19, 2022
• EV Training, IN-TECH, Solar Training

 

Just as the electrical grid is connected, so are the many communities of engineers, electricians, and educators required to perform complex electrical work throughout Illinois. In order to strengthen those connections and improve the partnership between IBEW Local 134 electricians and electrical engineers in the Greater Chicago Area, Powering Chicago recently hosted engineers at the esteemed IBEW-NECA Technical Institute (IN-Tech).

During their time at IN-Tech, electrical engineers learned from educators about industry trends, including the growth in electric vehicle (EV) charging with solar generation and energy storage. Engineers were also informed about new electrical codes and other implications for the future of electrical work in the Greater Chicago Area.

“With the advent and implementation of the electrical vehicle and sustainable energy systems that we’re seeing incorporated into the infrastructure right now, our electricians are heavily involved in that, we wanted to make sure that we can be a resource to electrical engineers as a partner in understanding how the two can be married together.” 

Powering Chicago Executive Director Elbert Walters III

With demand for EVs skyrocketing in the past decade (more electric vehicles are now sold in one week than during the entire year in 2012) and showing no signs of slowing, union electricians are at the forefront of installing EV charging stations that will power the future of transportation in Chicago and beyond. What’s more, engineers are currently facing the challenge of creating sustainable energy systems that will help contribute to provisions created under the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act. Both trends mean electricians and engineers will have to work closely and share knowledge to solve modern infrastructure problems.

After a tour of the building, engineers received additional education — the very same education IBEW Local 134 apprentices receive. “Engineers get to see that we have the best skilled, best trained electrical workforce in the industry,” said Walters III. “After coming here to see what our electricians learned and experienced, they can be assured that ECA contractors and In-Tech graduates are the best-prepared electricians out there today.”