Powering Chicago Celebrates National Apprenticeship Week 2020

Posted: November 9, 2020
better careers, better communities, better construction

Powering Chicago is proud to celebrate National Apprenticeship Week 2020, taking place from November 8-14, which highlights the value of apprenticeships to the workforce and U.S. economy. In metro Chicago, the unionized electrical industry offers one of the most innovative apprenticeship programs in the country, which is designed to prepare the next generation of skilled electricians to elevate industry performance and uphold our standard for better construction on every project.

Our apprenticeship program is based at the IBEW-NECA Technical Institute in Alsip, IL. Funded by our members, who invest in the future of skilled labor, the institute is a state-of-the-art 120,000-square-foot building consisting of 12 large classrooms, eight extensive laboratories and a full-size residential and commercial mock-up in which apprentices learn the trade. The institute also features the first solar electricity training facility in Illinois, providing apprentices with the opportunity to learn the latest best practices related to renewable energy.

Apprentices take part in a rigorous five-year program during which they attend day school for 40 hours per week. During the first three years of the paid program, apprentices are provided with instruction that combines classroom learning with the development of hands-on skills. The final two years of the program are flexible, and apprentices have the opportunity to participate in seminars on specific topics that will best serve them in the field. By the conclusion of the program, each apprentice has completed a minimum of 8,000 hours of training, effectively preparing them to advance the industry to ever-higher standards and performance.

For apprentices, participation in the program is the first step in securing a better career that provides a lifetime of opportunities. Few industries allow you to begin as an apprentice and have a realistic chance of owning your own company, but that’s the exact path many of our electrical contractors have taken. Whatever career path they choose to pursue, it’s a certainty that they’ll be well prepared to succeed after completing the apprenticeship program.

Because the apprenticeship model is so important to the future of our industry and to our ability to continue to provide the City of Chicago and suburban Cook County with better electrical construction, we work hard to be sure members of communities throughout Chicagoland know that a career in our industry is an option for them. We also invest heavily in programs like Chicago Builds, which is creating a pathway to apprenticeship for Chicago Public Schools students by helping them explore the basics of electrical work in a safe and encouraging environment led by experienced IBEW Local 134 electricians.

Through Chicago Builds and a variety of other programs and outreach efforts, particularly in underserved communities, the apprenticeship program increasingly reflects the diversity of Chicago itself, as approximately four out of ten apprentices in the program today are people of color. Our commitment to metro Chicago includes doing our part to create better communities, and building pathways into the apprenticeship program that enable people from all backgrounds to learn the skills needed to secure well-paying jobs in the unionized electrical industry is an important element in this work.

To learn more about the apprenticeship program, its value to metro Chicago, and to meet some of the members of the local unionized electrical industry who have benefited from apprenticeship, we encourage you to click through the links below:

If you’d like additional information about our apprenticeship program or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.