Electrical trade emerges as bright spot at Skilled Trades Expo
Interest in the electrical trade shows no signs of slowing down in the Mahoning Valley, as more than 6,500 middle and high school students attended the recent Skilled Trades Expo to get a hands-on look at the work and apprenticeship opportunities.
Apprentices and journeymen from IBEW Locals 64 and 573 joined representatives from the Youngstown and Warren Electrical JATCs for the Expo, helping students try residential wiring, conduit bending, wire pulling, bucket truck operations and a new circuit board activity.
This year’s Expo was the largest yet and included two hours open to the public on Sept. 22, the first day of the event, which ran for three days.
Drawing interest for the electrical trade
For NECA-IBEW Electricians, the Expo is more than a chance for students to try electrical work. It’s about reaching young people who may still be deciding what they want their future to look like.
“There are a lot of students who know they don’t want to sit behind a desk, but they may not know where to go next,” said Ahren Peplow, Youngstown JATC Training Director. “When we can show them the apprenticeship, the on-the-job training, the pay and benefits, that really gets their attention.”
Luke Gale, the new training director at the Warren JATC, was encouraged by how many students were curious about electrical work and the trades in general.
“The Expo did an outstanding job of showcasing the opportunities, values and pride that comes with being in the trades. This exposure matters – and is a good reminder of how important it is to introduce young people to what we do and all the career pathways available,” he said.
An electrical apprenticeship gives participants the opportunity to earn a paycheck while learning their trade instead of taking on the traditional college path.
Apprentices also receive health care and retirement benefits while building skills that can lead to a lifelong career. For those interested in traveling, their training can also open opportunities to work across the country.
Making the connection with students
Some of the best people to deliver that message are apprentices who were recently making their own decisions about what to do after high school.
First-year residential apprentices Alexis Sperling and Peyton Flower were among the new faces helping students at the station. Being closer in age to many of the attendees helped them connect with students and talk about what it is actually like to begin an apprenticeship.
“They really enjoyed stripping the wire on the residential demonstration,” Flower said.
Sperling and Flower also gave students a chance to see more women represented in a trade that has traditionally been male dominated.
Grace Morrison has helped deliver that message at the Expo before. Now a journeyman and an instructor at the Warren JATC, Morrison returned to work with students and encourage more young women to consider the electrical field.
“I like the teaching aspect and being able to help the next generation along. It sends an important message that there’s a place for them in the electrical trade.” Morrison said.
Turning exposure into careers
From reading a diagram and building a circuit board to bending conduit and seeing bucket truck operations up close, the Expo gives students the chance to do more than hear about a career. They get to try pieces of it themselves.
For NECA-IBEW, that interaction is one more way to keep building the pipeline of electricians needed for the future.
As technology changes and electrical infrastructure continues to expand, introducing students to the trade today could help produce the skilled workforce that will power the projects of tomorrow.
NECA-IBEW Electricians is an association of IBEW Local 64 in Youngstown, IBEW Local 573 in Warren and signatory electrical contractors throughout the Mahoning Valley.
