Industry Holds Inaugural Apprenticeship Challenge to Commemorate National Apprenticeship Week
- Posted: November 17, 2021
- National Apprenticeship Week 2021
Ahead of National Apprenticeship Week, which runs from November 15-19, Powering Chicago teamed up with the industry’s IBEW-NECA Technical Institute to honor the IBEW Local 134 electricians who are the future of the industry. Over the course of a week, an apprenticeship challenge was open to all IBEW Local 134 apprentices to compete in.
“During the week, all the competitors had done some circuit jobs, they had done some code tests we made for them, and various other tasks that mimic on-the-job skills they have learned during their apprenticeship,” said Gene Kent, Director of IN-TECH.
The competition was narrowed down to 10 finalists who competed in a final set of challenges to be crowned the winner of the inaugural competition. The final day’s worth of competition comprised of piping the training center’s cubicle, a motor control job, a 180-ft tower climb, and a written test. The apprentices were scored on each task and the finalist who received the most points won the competition.
To enhance the competition, Powering Chicago donated $500, $300, and $100, respectively, to the first, second, and third place winners. In addition, the winner received their name on a trophy which will be displayed at IN-TECH.
The top 3 winners were:
- Jake Rappelt
- Christopher Brieschke
- Gregory Grant
“We always wanted to do something to commemorate National Apprenticeship Week and our apprentices,” explained Kent. “We want to showcase the oldest standing educational model that there is, and that’s the apprenticeship model.”
National Apprenticeship Week is an opportunity to highlight how Registered Apprenticeship, a proven and industry-driven training model, provides a critical talent pipeline that can help to address some of our nation’s pressing workforce challenges such as responding to critical supply chain demands and supporting a clean energy workforce, modernizing our cybersecurity response, addressing public health issues, and rebuilding our country’s infrastructure.