It wasn’t quite the wire-to-wire finish that Cody Hilliard hoped for, but in the end the third-year Youngstown Area Electrical JATC apprentice finished in the top-32 in a national tradesman skills competition in Florida hosted by Ideal Industries. “We’re very proud of Cody for representing us so professionally at the Ideal National Championships, and he…
How can you spot a NECA electrical contractor and why should you care? NECA contractors make a difference, both in the quality of their work and their positive impact in the community. NECA, a national organization with a chapter locally in the Mahoning Valley, is the voice of the electrical construction industry. Its contractors set…
Cody Hilliard is that much closer to the $30,000 prize waiting for the winner of the Ideal Industries National Championships, a first-time skills competition among electrical tradesmen, after winning the Northeast Ohio regional title. Ideal Industries manufactures tools used in the electrical construction trade. Hilliard is a third-year apprentice with the Youngstown Area Electrical Joint…
We’re kicking off a new blog series on “What is NECA,” starting with the key takeaways from the recently concluded National Electrical Contractors Association’s annual convention in Boston. NECA, a national organization with a chapter locally in the Mahoning Valley, is the voice of the electrical construction industry. Its contractors set industry standards for traditional…
Even for the mechanically challenged, some do-it-yourself projects turn out well. But that’s not always the case. Especially if they involve working with something as potentially dangerous as electricity. NECA-IBEW Electricians member contractors and union electricians in the Mahoning Valley suggest hiring a union contractor to ensure your project — however large or small —…
Sometimes, the demand for specific types of workers is dependent on the overall performance of certain industries, the economy and other important factors. When the economy is struggling, finding a job can be tough, especially one that pays a wage good enough to put food on the table and a roof over the family’s head….
If you’ve ever heard a Motel 6 commercial you can probably quote spokesperson Tom Bodett’s last line: “We’ll leave the light on for you.” But unless the budget hotel chain is speaking figuratively, those lights better be LED. [In Part 2 of our series we’ll examine why “All LEDS are not created equal”] According to…
It’s a unique opportunity for two commercial electrician apprentices to have a hand in building their own training facility. Fourth-year apprentice Russ Sansosti of Struthers and third-year apprentice James Nagy of Austintown are part of “Joe” Dickey Electric’s crew wiring the building and installing electrical panels in the Youngstown Area Electrical JATC’s new training center…
More and more women are finding rewarding careers in the building trades. While secretaries, nurses and school teachers comprise the top three career fields employing women, a greater percentage are becoming interested in more men-dominated jobs. One such industry is the building trades, including electrical work. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, only 1.5…
Next is our series of reasons to consider a career in the electrical trade we appeal to those who like to work with their hands – and we don’t mean sitting in a cubicle – as well as those who don’t want to be saddled with a decade or more of student loan payments. Working…