Michon Peterson’s decision to become a journeyman electrician started with a piece of advice from a family member. “My grandpa used to be a pipefitter,” he said. “He always told me to look into the trades.” Peterson took those words seriously, and the electrical trade was the first one he explored. He initially considered college […]
The IBEW Local 64 hall in Boardman became a hub of determination as it hosted the electrical trade’s construction wiring portion of the Northeast Regional SkillsUSA Competition. This was Local 64’s second year hosting the event, which moves to a new location every two years. Growing interest in electrical trades Ten students from career and […]
Droves of students flocked to the electrical exhibit at the Mahoning Valley Skilled Trades Expo on September 17-19. They were learning to bend conduit, testing out a virtual reality tool that walks them through various electrical tasks, talking with apprentices about basic wiring and what a career is like, as well as getting an up-close […]
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 […]
IBEW Local 64 connected with the future of the trade as the host for the electrical construction wiring portion of the Northeast Regionals SkillsUSA Competition. Hundreds of students were involved from more than a dozen schools in the region. There were six participants for the electrical competition on February 22. It included a written exam […]
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 […]
With at least two years of classes left in pursuing a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering technology, Alex Birtalan has a “can’t-stop-won’t-stop” mentality. For the second year, he received the NECA-IBEW Electricians’ scholarship through the YSU Foundation. Birtalan, 22, of Salem, attends YSU part-time and works as much as possible as a junior estimator at […]
The steel outline of the new wellness and recreation center at Warren G. Harding High School can be seen towering between the school and Mollenkopf Stadium. Excitement in the community is building as contractors continue to pour hours of work into the construction. Architects with Phillips Sekanick say the idea for the center started coming […]