Projects for the NECA-IBEW Electricians remain steady, but events like the Mahoning Valley Skilled Trades Expo are driving awareness about careers in the electrical industry. Since the first expo in 2019, apprenticeship applications have increased for IBEW Locals 64 and 573. “Before we started, until now, they’re up between 10-15 percent. It’s been a good […]
The teachers became the students at an information session about skilled trades careers. Around 70 area guidance counselors and educators gathered at the Sheet Metal JAC Training Center in Boardman to learn about the many opportunities for young people in the building trades. Eric Davis, training director at the Warren Electrical JATC, was among the […]
[Following is the NECA-IBEW’s submission in the recently published Business Journal Growth Report 1 issue] A steady combination of commercial projects and residential work kept the energy high for NECA-IBEW Electricians in 2023. Overall, the signatory Mahoning Valley electrical contractors and IBEW union locals are keeping an optimistic outlook for 2024. IBEW Locals 64 and […]
There are a variety of pathways to a rewarding, well-paying career. A college degree is conventional, but it’s not for everyone. Some people enjoy hands-on learning, and a skilled trade like an apprentice electrician, is a route to a great living without incurring much debt. Starting in the electrical trade can be done right out […]
The idea of the Mahoning Valley Skilled Trades Expo is to have students get their hands dirty and find a potential career path they wouldn’t have otherwise considered. Nearly 5,000 students flocked to the new event center at the Canfield Fairgrounds between September 20 and 21. This was the fourth year for the event. There […]
Katie Gintert is in her second year with IBEW Local 573 in Warren. She’s working to complete her inside wireman program. Gintert always liked to build things. She joined Habitat for Humanity in high school, and took wood shop classes. “I knew that I wanted to be hands-on, I knew I wanted construction after being […]
For the seventh year, National Apprenticeship Week will be observed as a way to recognize and celebrate apprentices and the organizations that offer these unique opportunities to their future workforces. Each day this week, we will introduce a local electrical apprentice, sharing why they chose to pursue a career in the building trades. There are […]
Michon Peterson is going places. He is nearing the end of his apprenticeship, and he plans to use his skillset to explore. The fourth-year apprentice with IBEW Local 573 in Warren wants to go out to the western United States. “I can work anywhere. I figured I might as well do that before I start […]
Before ever stepping foot into the workforce, many college students have accumulated four years or more of student loan debt. And many of them experience shock or panic when they receive their first bill, some of whom haven’t even secured a full-time job yet. Last year, 69 percent of college students took out student loans, […]