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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 5, 2000)
Page B2 A p ril 5, 2000 ïh e yorthuiò ©baeruev P n r tln n ò (O bsm ier Career/Technology Trends Grads Find Wiring Nation’s Desktops Is Key to Top Pay and Tech Training A w hite-hot career path for today's high school grads is information cabling — the electrical w iring that brings voice, data and video connections through a building to the desktop. C urrently, m any professional voice- data-video installer/technicians are earn ing as m uch as $50,000 a year, according to the National Electrical C ontractors A ssociation (N E C A ) and International B ro th erh o o d o f E lectrical W orkers (IB E W ), w hose NJATC training program is the acknow ledged leader in recruiting and training A m erica’s electrical con struction workers. A dding to the lure o f inform ation cabling are the substantial intellectual and financial rew ards being offered elec trical trainees. Training Perks T he N E C A -IB E W training program boasts an enviable cam -as-you-leam cur riculum , offering participants a substan tial salary, as well as health and pension benefits and college credits during the apprenticeship period. F or e x am p le, ap p ren tic e s in the NJATC program for voice-data-video installer/technicians earn an average o f $50,000 to $75,000 over the three-year training period, w hich requires 480 hours o f classroom instruction and 4,800 hours o f on-the-job training. And the dem and for these w orkers is skyrocketing. N E C A -IB E W officials estim ate they Outstanding career opportunities abound for professional electrical will need to recruit and train an addition workers who install the telecom wiring that brings voice, data and al 50,000 tele co m m u n ic atio n s in staller/ video connections through a building to the desktop. technicians over the next 10 years to m eet the voice-data-video cabling needs tunities in electrical construction. More than 40,000 apprentices are cur o f the n ation's com m ercial buildings. “ If A m erica is to be globally com peti rently enrolled in the multi-year NJATC In addition, dem and for journeym an tive in the 21st century and serve the training programs for highly-skilled electri w irem en — the professional electricians nation’s exploding technology needs, it cal jobs in the industrial, commercial, w ho wire the electrical system s o f the m ust attract people to electrical and residential and telecommunications sectors. nation’s buildings and factories — is information cabling careers," says N ECA For a free inform ative brochure on alm ost as hot. C h ie f E xecutive O fficer John M. Grau. the types o f careers currently available Recruiting Push "W e need to recruit young people into through NJATC apprenticeships in the To help meet the exploding need for these the construction industry in general and electrical a n d t e l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s professional electrical workers, NECA and the electrical field in particular, and to industry, w rite to E lectrical Construction IBEW are aggressively working to increase reem phasize the w orth and rew ards o f Careers, PO Box 2532, N orth B abylon, aw areness o f the outstanding career oppor- trade m astery and skilled labor careers.” N Y 11703. Looking for a few good men and women to become an Electrician Apprentice Open Application from April 3 - April 14, 2000 Apprentices wages begin at $ 10 and goes up to $25 per hour for five years Program Minimum Requirements: 1. At least 18 years of age. 2. High school graduate or GED. 3. One full year of high school algebra or equivalent college algebra courses. 4. Qualifying score on NJATC aptitude test. Shortage of Electrical Workers Threatens “Wiring” of America The overwhelming obstacle to wiring American businesses over the next decade will be recruiting and training the thousands o f professional electrical workers needed to cable the nation's new commercial buildings and rewire outdated ones. That's the prediction o f the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) and International Bmthertxxxf o f Electrical Workers (IBEW), whose NJATC training program has long been the acknow ledged leader in recruiting and training America’s electrical construction workers. NECA-IBEW officials estimate that an additional 50,000 telecom m unications installer/technicians will need to be recruit ed and trained over the next 10 years to meet the demand for cabling the nation’s commercial buildings. Apprentice installer/technicians in the NECA-IBEW training program must com plete a demanding three-year course encom passing 480 hours o f classwixk and 4,800 hours o f on-the-job experience to become NJATC certified. However, participants in the eam-as-you- leam program receive a highly competitive salary, health and pension benefits and college credits during the apprenticeship, with installer/technicians earning an average o f $50,000 to $75,000 over the three-year training period. NECA-IBEW officials say that attracting people to professional electrical and informa tion cabling careers is as much about "rewiring” America's attitudes toward the construction industry and skilled labor careers, as it is about wiring the nation tor the infor- mation age. "Unfortunately, the prosperity o f the last decade and the glamorizing o f overnight high- tech w ealth has moved many people to forget the honor o f the skilled trades and their value in the workplace,” says IBEW International President John J. Barry. "Our society needs to reemphasize the worth and rewards o f trade mastery and skilled labor careers.” NECA and IBEW officials say they hope to unite the wide-ranging resources o f the business, education and labor communities to counteract the alarming shortage o f skilled electrical workers. The effort will focus on advancing cooper ative education and awareness activities that address technology training needs, and career opportunities for future electricians and cabling installer/technicians. Construction Industry Boom Continues; Top Marks Go To Electrical Specialties A m id the ro b u st g ro w th o f the nation’s construction sector, careers in the electrical field are now providing som e o f the m ost ch allen g in g and rew arding opportunities o f all. Recent governm ent reports show that over the past decade, electrical construc tion grew faster than other types o f con struction contracting, acco u n tin g for alm ost 16 percent o f all hiring in the con struction trades betw een 1991 and 1997. This exploding dem and for profes sional electrical w orkers appears to stem from the dram atic grow th in inform ation cabling — the w iring o f buildings to take v o ice -d ata -v id e o c o n n ec tio n s to the d e sk to p — and the n a tio n ’s in cre asin g requirem ents for electrical m aintenance, service and repair work. Outstanding Training In response, the organized electrical construction industry — through a joint effort o f the N ational E lectrical Contractors Association (N E C A ) and the International Brotherhood o f Electrical W orkers (IB E W ) — has continued to com m it significant resources to its long standing NJATC training program . This program is designed to recruit qualified w orkers and provide them with the extensive on-the-job training and specialized instruction needed to ensure that highly skilled, professional w orkers Census 2000 is an opportunity to help our community grow. The information gathered in ' Census 2000 can help deter- mine where job training centers, schools, daycare centers and healthcare facili ties are needed. Where new businesses and factories are built. And its Census data that help© determine our fair share of billions of dollars in government funding. I So, when your Census form arrives, Fill it in and mail it back, ft’s a form of opportunity for our community. I I I I Census 2 0 0 0 . 1 This is o u r fu tu re . ■ Don’t leave it Wank. This is an equal opportunity industry, and minorities and females are encouraged to apply. For more information, visit Oregon Tradeswomen (located at PCC Metro, 5600 NE. 42nd Ave. Room 107) or call Amy Miller at 503/943-2228. ____ will alw ays be available in the electrical construction field. In 1999 alone, N E C A and IBEW invested an estim ated $80 m illion in NJATC program s for training m ore than 40,000 apprentices for electrical jo b s in the industrial, com m ercial, residential and tele co m m u n ic atio n s sectors. In addition, the program provided training for 50,000 journeym en w ho returned for sp ecialized instruction to fu rth er im prove or update their skills. Salary and Benefits U nlike m ost education and instruction program s, NJATC apprenticeships are eam -as-you-leam program s, providing particip an ts w ith regular paychecks, health and pension benefits, and the earn ing o f college credits during training. Depending on the electrical specialty selected, length o f apprenticeship, and local pay rate, NJATC participants gener ally earn betw een $80,000 and $ 150,000 over their full apprenticeship period. Most apprenticeship programs run from 3 to 5 years, depending on the specialty chosen. C u rre n tly the m ost p o p u lar apprenticeships are for installer/techni cians o f inform ation cabling; linem en; and inside w irem en. These require 3-, 3 I,!- and 5-year program s respectively. All dem and several hundred hours o f classroom tim e, and thousands o f on- the-job training hours under the direc tion o f experienced professionals. College Credits T he NJATC program has also form ed num erous alliances with colleges and universities to help electrical workers obtain academ ic degrees as well. The Am erican C ouncil o f E ducation allow s 50 hours o f college credit equiv alency for com pletion o f the w irem an apprenticeship program , and 30 hours for the linem an apprenticeship. A pprox im ately 2,000 colleges and universities across the country will accept these credits on a transfer basis. D espite these outstanding benefits and career opportunities, the dem and for highly skilled, professional e lectri cal w orkers is outstripping supply. For exam ple, N E C A -IB E W officials currently estim ate they will need to train an additional 50,000 telecom m u nications installer/technicians over the next decade to m eet the c o u n try ’s sky ro c k e tin g n e ed s for in fo rm a tio n cabling. D em and for o ther professional electrical specialties is also exploding. To learn m ore about career op p o rtu nities in electrical construction, order a free in fo rm a tiv e p am p h le t on the NJATC apprenticeship program from E le ctrica l C o n stru c tio n C a ree rs, PO B ox 2532, N orth B abylon, NY 11703.
