• Posted: November 16, 2021

 

Powering Chicago celebrates our amazing apprentices during the 7th annual National Apprenticeship Week (NAW), November 15 – 21, 2021. With over 1,500 apprentices trained at the IBEW-NECA Technical Institute, we are proud of the hard work of all our students.

NAW is a nationwide celebration where industry, labor, equity, workforce, education, and government leaders host events to showcase the successes and value of Registered Apprenticeship for rebuilding our economy, advancing racial and gender equity, and supporting underserved communities.

We know the path to IN-Tech is not always a direct one. Some apprentices heard about us from friends or family in the union or were looking for the next step after serving in the military. All are motivated by their desire to have a good job with security, learn a skill where they can succeed, and be part of a brother and sisterhood that remains for life.

As part of our celebration, we’ll be sharing our apprentices’ stories. Here is our conversation with third-year apprentice Sheena Chatman.

Why did you decide to become a union electrician?

Sheena: In my last job, I was with the hospitality industry, and I know that they have their union, but it’s super hard to get into. When I did come across another opportunity to be in the union and have the stability that the union like IBEW 134 provides, I just went for it. I like electronics. I like working with my hands. I like math. If I can have a career doing this, then it makes every day getting up and going to work that much easier.

Tell me a little bit about your experience at IN-Tech and how it’s preparing you for a career in electrical construction.

Sheena: It’s been amazing. I came into the school not knowing anything. I’ve learned the basic building blocks of knowledge. They’ve expanded my horizons and have shown me quite a few different avenues that I can take that I didn’t even know were a possibility. Whether it be in the field or an office or doing something with the school, it’s all just like one big circle of knowledge.

How do you feel like the training here is preparing you for when you’re out in the field?

Sheena: I feel like the training is really good because it gives us the very beginning of our training. And for most of our training, we do get out in the field. But there’s so much more you need to know before you get there. For instance, transformers is probably one of my favorite classes right now. Earlier in my training, when I would go in the field, I would see the other journeymen hooking up things and I didn’t know what they were doing or why they were using certain colors. I didn’t know how they were connected or how much it meant for the power for the building. I now understand, having the background from school, and I can go in and pay attention to the techniques that they use versus having these basic questions like, why are they doing this and why is this like that? IN-Tech definitely gives you all of the background you need before you get into the field.

If you had a friend that wanted to become an electrician, would you tell them to join the union and train at IN-Tech?

Sheena: I would tell them, it’s not who you know, it’s what you know. In a lot of different trades, you can get in the door if you’re tight-knit with someone like a friend or family member who is in the trade.

In this union, it’s not like that. I didn’t know anyone. I didn’t know anything. Yet, here I am in my third year, and I’m making connections with people and I’m feeling very included in everything that’s going on.

How has IN-Tech had an effect on your life?

Sheena: IN-Tech has impacted me obviously positively, and in a way that another company hasn’t done before.

IN-Tech gives us all of the training, resources and support that you don’t see with a lot of companies. I’ve met and talked with a lot of the guys here, and we all feel like we are getting the best of the best.

Tell me about your experience with the Four Lenses and the DEI training.

Sheena: The Four Lenses training was probably one of my favorite seminars so far. It definitely helps me understand the people in my class, who are my potential coworkers. When I get back to the job field, it’ll help me understand the people who I couldn’t understand before. There are some people who, for whatever reason, didn’t sit right with me. Now I understand why that person didn’t sit next to me or how to approach that person in a different situation, so that we can understand each other.

The training also made me look at myself in a way that I haven’t before, with a lot of self-reflection. I realized I don’t like change as much as I used to think I was open to it. It gave me something I can work on with myself.

How will it help you when you’re out in the field?

Sheena: The training definitely helps me understand the positions that I haven’t been in, yet – like a foreman or journeyman. When they are upset or if they are reacting a certain way, now I have some tools to better help me understand why they may react that way.

It helps me to be proactive when others are being reactive. It helps me to be able to perform better.

How do the Life Mastery skills apply to your personal life?

Sheena: It can help me solve personal issues, like if I’m having issues with a family member or friend. I can implement the things that I learned the last couple of days to better handle situations in my personal life.

As you think about your career, what’s your vision for your future?

Sheena: I don’t have it all figured out yet, honestly, but I’ve learned a few different options from people I’ve talked to in my training. One of the foremen I work for told me that I could be a general foreman, and then become an estimator. I won’t have to spend my entire career in the field. I thought that was pretty cool because I hadn’t thought that far. First things first, I plan to get my card and finish the apprenticeship. Then, I’ll work on getting certified and after that, we’ll see what happens. I think I have a few years to figure out a path for myself.

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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.