IBEW-NECA Technical Institute Meets Need for Trained Electricians in Renewable Energies

Welcomes New Class to State-of-the-Art Facility in Alsip

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Sep 16, 2021, 09:07 ET

CHICAGO, Sept. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As students begin to return to the classroom, so too are a new class of electric apprentices at the IBEW-NECA Technical Institute (IN-Tech) in Alsip, Illinois. Serving Chicago and Cook county since 1988, IN-Tech's five-year program blends in-classroom with on-the-job education to train apprentices to assemble, install, maintain and test electrical equipment and wiring systems in residential, commercial, and industrial settings. This is especially important as the need for electricians and skilled labor is expected to soar with the alternative and renewable energies jobs projected to be created by the federal infrastructure bill.

Training in advanced technologies will be crucial to meet the demand for skilled labor, according to Gene Kent, Director, IBEW-NECA Technical Institute. IN-Tech, like Powering Chicago, represents the labor-management partnership between Chicago and Cook County electricians and contractor members of IBEW Local 134 and the Electrical Contractors' Association of Chicago and Cook County.

"IN-Tech is always poised to meet the ever-changing demand for skilled labor, even amidst the national labor shortage,'' said Kent. "The Chicagoland area is primed to receive nearly $15 billion in the proposed federal infrastructure bill which will create thousands of jobs in renewable energies. At our state-of-the-art 25-acre renewable energy training facility, we've seen interest peak during the pandemic with no signs of slowing."

IN-Tech starts a new class of students four times a year and currently has nearly 1,500 apprentices enrolled. The rigorous five-year curriculum includes instruction in renewable energies such as electric vehicle (EV) charging station installation, solar photovoltaic array installation, and more. To provide the best hands-on training in the region, IN-Tech's campus includes an 80-foot wind turbine, rooftop solar installations, a 100-foot cell tower, and an 18-kilowatt solar carport with four EV charging stations.

Chicago has the fourth-highest employment level of electricians nationally according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and is one of the top 10 regions for pay with an average annual mean wage of nearly $85,000. Nationally, the employment outlook is on the rise for electricians, with BLS data projecting 9 percent growth in employment opportunities from 2020 to 2030.

Over the last 120 years, thousands of apprentices have graduated into highly skilled union journeypersons at IN-Tech, trained with union electrical skills. All apprentices who complete the courses at the Technical Institute earn credit hours through Richard J. Daley College toward an A.A.S. in Electrical Construction Technology. For more information about IN-Tech, please visit https://ejatt.com/.

About Powering Chicago
Bringing together the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 134 electricians and the Electrical Contractors' Association (ECA) of City of Chicago, Powering Chicago is an electrical industry labor-management partnership that invests in consistently better construction, better careers and better communities within the metro Chicago region. Employing the latest technology, its members are elevating industry performance through their commitment to safety, level of experience and reliability, while also investing in the future of skilled labor through an innovative apprenticeship program that is paving the way for the next generation of skilled electricians. For additional information, visit poweringchicago.com.

SOURCE Powering Chicago