Earn While You Learn: Why an Electrician Apprenticeship Beats College Debt

WEBVTT
1
00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:07.620
UrbanEbb is a gateway to the heart of our local
2
00:00:07.679 --> 00:00:12.929
small cities. UrbanEbb covers urban life and planning, culture, innovative
3
00:00:12.990 --> 00:00:18.070
city initiatives, programs, development, and politics. Here, people talk about
4
00:00:18.089 --> 00:00:21.690
their passions and interests and share their opinions and stories.
5
00:00:22.109 --> 00:00:24.559
It's a conversation we can all learn from.
6
00:00:25.379 --> 00:00:31.579
Hi everyone, this is Rico Figliolini, host of UrbanEbb, a
7
00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:35.700
small podcast here just north of Atlanta. in the Smart
8
00:00:35.740 --> 00:00:38.490
City of Future Corners. I have a great guest today
9
00:00:38.909 --> 00:00:43.009
and something dear to my heart that I've thought about
10
00:00:43.049 --> 00:00:47.070
a lot, especially having three kids and where the future looks,
11
00:00:47.630 --> 00:00:54.369
about skills, trade skills, and about that world. So Niall Dawson,
12
00:00:54.609 --> 00:00:56.509
thank you for joining me. I appreciate you being here.
13
00:00:56.530 --> 00:00:59.009
Niall Dawson Glad to be here. Thank you for having me.
14
00:00:59.350 --> 00:01:01.890
Yeah, no, this is going to be a great conversation,
15
00:01:01.909 --> 00:01:05.189
I am sure. But before we get into that, let
16
00:01:05.209 --> 00:01:07.409
me just say thank you to the sponsors that we have.
17
00:01:07.769 --> 00:01:13.379
Two great companies that sponsor these podcasts are Journalism, Vox Populi,
18
00:01:13.719 --> 00:01:16.299
based here in Peachtree Corners. If you have a logo,
19
00:01:16.599 --> 00:01:19.459
you have a brand, you need it on anything, whether
20
00:01:19.500 --> 00:01:23.939
it's apparel, truck wrap, or 20 truck wraps, or you
21
00:01:23.980 --> 00:01:26.219
go into a trade show. Wherever you need that branding,
22
00:01:26.310 --> 00:01:30.530
Vox Populi is the company to go to. Family owned, again,
23
00:01:30.590 --> 00:01:35.069
based here in Peachtree Corners. Check them out. voxpopuli.com and
24
00:01:35.250 --> 00:01:38.349
evie remodeling eli who owns it with his him and
25
00:01:38.370 --> 00:01:42.299
his family live here in as well they do whole
26
00:01:42.359 --> 00:01:49.120
home remodeling the kitchen bath extensions decks all that great
27
00:01:49.180 --> 00:01:52.769
work and work that's dependable and that you can count
28
00:01:52.810 --> 00:01:55.319
on that's creative So from design to build is what
29
00:01:55.359 --> 00:01:59.569
they do. So two great companies that use skilled labor
30
00:02:00.129 --> 00:02:03.530
to be able to deliver on their fine products, right?
31
00:02:03.549 --> 00:02:07.650
So check them out. They're evremodelinginc.com as well. So now
32
00:02:07.670 --> 00:02:12.050
that we've done that, now, you know, we've spoken before
33
00:02:12.090 --> 00:02:15.340
several times and I've been wanting to do this podcast
34
00:02:15.360 --> 00:02:19.580
with you and to learn a little bit more about IEC,
35
00:02:19.939 --> 00:02:27.360
the Independent Electric Contractors Association. Now, based in Peachtree Corners,
36
00:02:27.580 --> 00:02:32.909
with 27,000 new square feet of building, it's just tremendous
37
00:02:33.000 --> 00:02:37.050
out there. You know, you came out of the nonprofit field.
38
00:02:37.090 --> 00:02:39.849
I think you were there maybe 35 years in that field.
39
00:02:41.110 --> 00:02:43.069
Can you tell us a little bit about your background?
40
00:02:43.129 --> 00:02:46.530
What got you into that? And then how did you
41
00:02:46.590 --> 00:02:47.889
end up at IEC?
42
00:02:48.969 --> 00:02:52.939
Sure. Again, thanks for having me, Rico. Appreciate it. Yeah,
43
00:02:52.979 --> 00:02:56.159
I've worked pretty much all my life in nonprofit management.
44
00:02:57.580 --> 00:03:02.310
My heart lies in helping people, individuals get jobs, make
45
00:03:02.340 --> 00:03:07.370
a good living. So my background in nonprofits is working
46
00:03:07.449 --> 00:03:12.110
people with disabilities, helping them get into the workforce. I
47
00:03:12.150 --> 00:03:17.849
work with the criminal justice system, people re-entry or preventative,
48
00:03:17.930 --> 00:03:21.199
trying to keep them out of prison and getting them
49
00:03:21.259 --> 00:03:25.009
some workforce services. So those are two of my populations
50
00:03:25.069 --> 00:03:30.219
I've worked with prior to the independent electrical contractors. So
51
00:03:31.240 --> 00:03:36.240
I've had that love for, again, workforce services, not actually
52
00:03:36.360 --> 00:03:39.599
giving a job to someone, but giving them a helping hand,
53
00:03:39.659 --> 00:03:42.620
giving them a helping hand up so they can better themselves.
54
00:03:42.699 --> 00:03:45.490
And that's really pretty much what we do at IEC.
55
00:03:46.210 --> 00:03:50.150
Our individual, we have 300 member contractors across the state.
56
00:03:51.030 --> 00:03:55.000
Most of them are needing workers. And we have a
57
00:03:55.039 --> 00:04:00.139
lot of workers to help them get their jobs done.
58
00:04:00.199 --> 00:04:04.620
That's one skill trade, right? Out of many, right? Yes.
59
00:04:05.430 --> 00:04:08.650
But one that's more and more needed, it seems like.
60
00:04:09.449 --> 00:04:14.409
And my father was a welder. Started his own business,
61
00:04:14.789 --> 00:04:18.250
wanted me to work in his business. Learned how to
62
00:04:18.269 --> 00:04:22.209
weld a little bit. Not a good welder. Took over
63
00:04:22.250 --> 00:04:24.990
the bookkeeping for a little while. Not a good accounting either.
64
00:04:25.389 --> 00:04:30.519
That's why I'm in publishing. But somewhere along the line,
65
00:04:30.540 --> 00:04:33.399
people are needed to do these things, right? So when
66
00:04:33.439 --> 00:04:40.680
you got to IEC, that's versus any other. Why IEC versus,
67
00:04:40.740 --> 00:04:44.500
let's say, I don't know, construction or other types of
68
00:04:45.379 --> 00:04:47.620
skill training? How'd you end up there?
69
00:04:48.560 --> 00:04:54.870
Sure. Well, my last winter in Connecticut, we had 36
70
00:04:54.870 --> 00:04:58.990
feet of snow. And I said, I'm done with that.
71
00:04:59.569 --> 00:05:02.410
I'm moving south where we don't have that, as well
72
00:05:02.589 --> 00:05:06.310
as up north. It's a little bit fast paced and
73
00:05:07.029 --> 00:05:10.129
people are kind of just fast paced, a little angry.
74
00:05:10.310 --> 00:05:12.750
And I wanted to go south where people are warmer
75
00:05:12.910 --> 00:05:17.490
and more friendly and So that's how I ended up here.
76
00:05:17.589 --> 00:05:21.709
But I, again, background in workforce. I have a master's
77
00:05:21.750 --> 00:05:26.949
in education. So I answered a job, basically, an ad
78
00:05:27.009 --> 00:05:31.279
that was for the director of education initially, which was
79
00:05:32.199 --> 00:05:36.660
really putting together a structure for the IEC on how
80
00:05:36.680 --> 00:05:40.980
to train workers. They already had some structure there. But
81
00:05:41.339 --> 00:05:43.839
there was a lot of volunteers because IEC is a
82
00:05:43.860 --> 00:05:47.980
nonprofit trade association. And so we use a lot of volunteers.
83
00:05:48.879 --> 00:05:51.899
And the volunteers at that time said, hey, this is
84
00:05:51.920 --> 00:05:54.860
getting bigger than we can handle. We need to bring
85
00:05:54.920 --> 00:05:58.730
in a professional to actually move this program forward. And
86
00:05:58.790 --> 00:06:02.589
so that they hired me initially as a training director
87
00:06:02.709 --> 00:06:06.310
with my background in program development. And so I got
88
00:06:06.350 --> 00:06:09.420
to work and kind of grew it. In the last
89
00:06:09.420 --> 00:06:13.120
30 years, I've been growing, growing, growing the trade association
90
00:06:13.199 --> 00:06:17.860
with both members as well as apprentices who need a
91
00:06:17.899 --> 00:06:19.319
good career. Yeah.
92
00:06:19.980 --> 00:06:22.819
You know, when I came here in 95, and I
93
00:06:22.870 --> 00:06:25.430
came from the north too, from New York. You're right,
94
00:06:25.449 --> 00:06:29.269
a lot of it. So we missed each other almost.
95
00:06:30.350 --> 00:06:33.610
And people are angry people up there sometimes. And I
96
00:06:33.649 --> 00:06:36.170
don't know if that's the weather or the hustle and bustle,
97
00:06:37.149 --> 00:06:40.850
you know, or the density. of population, maybe. But when
98
00:06:40.910 --> 00:06:43.009
I did come down here, I felt like you felt.
99
00:06:43.129 --> 00:06:47.509
It was very friendly. It's easy going. It's almost slow
100
00:06:47.610 --> 00:06:50.670
in some ways. A little too slow sometimes if you
101
00:06:50.689 --> 00:06:53.889
want to pick up the pace. But not too bad.
102
00:06:55.149 --> 00:06:57.730
So you've seen a lot of changes like I have
103
00:06:57.889 --> 00:06:59.660
in certain things. I mean, I saw a lot of...
104
00:06:59.709 --> 00:07:01.920
I was involved a little bit in planning and development
105
00:07:02.209 --> 00:07:05.339
in that area here in Gwinnett County for a few
106
00:07:05.399 --> 00:07:08.889
years and the Park and Rec Association and stuff. So
107
00:07:08.930 --> 00:07:12.149
you've seen over 30 years of change in the building codes,
108
00:07:12.230 --> 00:07:18.459
in the way Georgia handles building now over three decades, right?
109
00:07:19.139 --> 00:07:23.459
So what changes did you see from then to now?
110
00:07:23.680 --> 00:07:26.879
I mean, as far as electric, just that aspect of it.
111
00:07:27.699 --> 00:07:33.370
Well, there's always been a demand for electricians. And when
112
00:07:33.399 --> 00:07:36.310
I came here, I kept hearing, we need more electricians.
113
00:07:36.370 --> 00:07:40.490
We need more electricians. And I'm hearing the same thing today,
114
00:07:40.649 --> 00:07:43.949
even especially now that the data centers are, you know,
115
00:07:43.980 --> 00:07:46.500
we're the number one state for data centers being built
116
00:07:46.540 --> 00:07:49.519
now in the United States. We took over from Virginia
117
00:07:50.160 --> 00:07:53.560
in this last month, and I was on a call
118
00:07:53.639 --> 00:07:57.459
earlier today, and someone said, you know, probably about 70%
119
00:07:57.459 --> 00:08:00.920
of electricians in the state are working in data centers.
120
00:08:01.000 --> 00:08:04.230
And someone else said, that's probably a low number. So
121
00:08:05.029 --> 00:08:10.069
we're just seeing more and more, not just with the
122
00:08:10.110 --> 00:08:15.980
data centers, but solar and the different types of industries
123
00:08:16.480 --> 00:08:19.459
that have popped up in reference to electrical that weren't
124
00:08:19.500 --> 00:08:22.899
even there 30 years ago. The EV, the charging stations,
125
00:08:23.040 --> 00:08:28.220
all that is new. And that wasn't there 30 years ago.
126
00:08:28.279 --> 00:08:30.740
So you're always going to see more and more demand
127
00:08:30.779 --> 00:08:35.250
for different types of sections within the electrical that we
128
00:08:35.289 --> 00:08:39.210
don't even know about. So it keeps changing and it
129
00:08:39.250 --> 00:08:45.100
keeps evolving. But lately, we're just seeing that explosion. I
130
00:08:45.120 --> 00:08:46.860
don't want to dwell too much on the data centers,
131
00:08:46.919 --> 00:08:49.539
but that's just such a huge topic right now that
132
00:08:50.600 --> 00:08:53.720
I've got one member that said he could hire a
133
00:08:53.919 --> 00:08:57.370
couple hundred electricians on the data centers. I mean, they're
134
00:08:57.389 --> 00:09:03.139
just And that's driving other issues within the industry, like product.
135
00:09:03.610 --> 00:09:06.590
So a data center can buy millions of dollars worth
136
00:09:06.629 --> 00:09:12.250
of wire, and where small electrical contractors can't buy nearly
137
00:09:12.289 --> 00:09:16.990
that much. So it's providing strain on both the skilled
138
00:09:17.029 --> 00:09:19.220
labor as well as materials as well.
139
00:09:19.980 --> 00:09:23.879
Interesting. And we're talking about construction, really, right? So I mean,
140
00:09:23.899 --> 00:09:28.740
these jobs will last for years, but not decades. you know,
141
00:09:28.759 --> 00:09:32.500
at some point that supply comes down a little bit, right?
142
00:09:32.610 --> 00:09:35.370
Of how many data centers can you put in? Right.
143
00:09:35.450 --> 00:09:39.669
Good or bad, right? And I know I just saw
144
00:09:39.690 --> 00:09:42.350
a mailer from Georgia Power saying, you know, as far
145
00:09:42.370 --> 00:09:45.029
as data centers go, people are afraid that it's going
146
00:09:45.049 --> 00:09:47.299
to suck up all the electricity and someone else is
147
00:09:47.320 --> 00:09:50.679
going to pay for it. It's like, you know, that's
148
00:09:50.700 --> 00:09:54.259
not necessarily the case. You know, companies that want the
149
00:09:54.299 --> 00:09:57.039
data centers are paying for that. And they're paying for
150
00:09:57.059 --> 00:10:00.360
the electricity for that, too. It's not like they're coming
151
00:10:00.440 --> 00:10:04.799
in and the government's paying for it. But you're right,
152
00:10:04.820 --> 00:10:06.960
there is a strain. So how do you solve that?
153
00:10:07.100 --> 00:10:09.460
And not only the strain of it, but also the
154
00:10:09.519 --> 00:10:13.519
education of it, right? Because data centers may need– people
155
00:10:13.539 --> 00:10:17.529
think electrical is one monolithic education thing, it doesn't change,
156
00:10:17.549 --> 00:10:21.950
but there's differences, right? Things change, product change, women change,
157
00:10:22.909 --> 00:10:27.350
the amount of electricity throughput in a warehouse changes. Does
158
00:10:27.429 --> 00:10:31.019
AI get used to monitor some of that switching and
159
00:10:31.059 --> 00:10:34.720
back and forth and flow of electricity that maybe the
160
00:10:34.759 --> 00:10:37.519
electrician has to set up also? How does that work
161
00:10:37.600 --> 00:10:38.879
then when you're talking like that?
162
00:10:39.799 --> 00:10:47.460
Yeah. Well, again, you're having different technologies always being introduced
163
00:10:47.740 --> 00:10:51.379
into the industry, introduced into the grid. I mean, there's
164
00:10:51.440 --> 00:10:56.129
a strain on their grid as well, and delivering electricity,
165
00:10:56.669 --> 00:11:02.710
producing electricity. AI, I think the portion that AI is
166
00:11:02.730 --> 00:11:07.789
serving is to be able to monitor the flow of electricity,
167
00:11:08.620 --> 00:11:13.799
the demand, Going back to data centers, data centers are
168
00:11:13.840 --> 00:11:19.500
constant demand. Most manufacturing, the facility, they have a demand
169
00:11:19.600 --> 00:11:24.750
at certain peak times, and then it goes down. Data centers,
170
00:11:24.879 --> 00:11:27.210
it's 24-7. You have to have those data centers ready
171
00:11:27.269 --> 00:11:30.230
all the time, and if a data center goes down,
172
00:11:32.009 --> 00:11:34.649
you really can't have it because they will lose millions
173
00:11:34.710 --> 00:11:37.509
of dollars each and every day when a data center
174
00:11:37.549 --> 00:11:40.649
goes down. So there's redundancy in having a backup data
175
00:11:40.669 --> 00:11:44.149
center to a data center because it just can't fail
176
00:11:44.250 --> 00:11:48.899
because we use these things all the time, right? And
177
00:11:49.620 --> 00:11:53.000
whether it's driving home, whether it's setting up a meeting,
178
00:11:53.259 --> 00:11:57.679
whatever it is, we are using AI constantly and it's
179
00:11:57.740 --> 00:12:02.419
not going to go backwards at all. So AI for
180
00:12:03.279 --> 00:12:07.580
taking up the space of an electrician, yeah, who knows?
181
00:12:07.620 --> 00:12:09.600
That may be the case that you could have a
182
00:12:10.700 --> 00:12:15.750
robot or with AI, you do the simple things in
183
00:12:16.419 --> 00:12:20.350
putting together a building, just wiring outlets. That's a pretty
184
00:12:20.409 --> 00:12:23.529
simple thing that could possibly be done down the road.
185
00:12:23.649 --> 00:12:29.049
We're not there yet. But what is taking over right
186
00:12:29.090 --> 00:12:33.179
now I'm seeing is an estimating. So right now, in
187
00:12:34.159 --> 00:12:37.019
the past, you'd count your number of fixtures, you'd count
188
00:12:37.039 --> 00:12:40.019
your number of lights, you'd count your number of outlets,
189
00:12:40.320 --> 00:12:43.570
and you would then order them based upon the number
190
00:12:43.610 --> 00:12:47.210
that the architect has drawn in those plans. Right now,
191
00:12:48.320 --> 00:12:51.250
I'm hearing they can just feed that in to AI
192
00:12:51.330 --> 00:12:55.470
and it immediately produces a bid based upon the design
193
00:12:55.870 --> 00:13:00.590
of the architecture. So it's replacing, I think, estimators and
194
00:13:00.929 --> 00:13:03.940
not necessarily replacing, but it's cutting down on the time
195
00:13:03.980 --> 00:13:06.980
where it might take days to count those fixtures. Now
196
00:13:07.000 --> 00:13:07.440
it's hours.
197
00:13:08.240 --> 00:13:10.500
I bet. I bet you they can even come up
198
00:13:10.539 --> 00:13:14.919
with a laundry list of products to order and probably
199
00:13:14.960 --> 00:13:17.110
even place the product to order, depending on.
200
00:13:17.049 --> 00:13:19.889
How it's done. Yeah, because there are software programs right
201
00:13:19.929 --> 00:13:24.429
now that connect that estimating software right into the manufacturer,
202
00:13:24.450 --> 00:13:27.049
the distributor and manufacturer. So it seems to just go
203
00:13:27.110 --> 00:13:27.629
straight through.
204
00:13:28.409 --> 00:13:32.840
So jobs in some areas might adjust and other areas
205
00:13:32.899 --> 00:13:33.840
still need it, right?
206
00:13:33.860 --> 00:13:34.580
Absolutely.
207
00:13:34.980 --> 00:13:37.220
And that also means that, as you were saying before,
208
00:13:37.240 --> 00:13:40.750
I mean, products change also, right? So even, you know,
209
00:13:40.789 --> 00:13:43.169
you might be a licensed electrician, which is, we should
210
00:13:43.210 --> 00:13:45.750
point out, this is unique a little bit to IEC.
211
00:13:46.110 --> 00:13:49.669
The way you actually, the way the organization actually educates
212
00:13:50.269 --> 00:13:54.419
and then helps get licensed. So explain that part. This
213
00:13:54.440 --> 00:13:57.820
way people understand what that means. Yeah. So, yeah.
214
00:14:01.149 --> 00:14:04.860
We actually have a four-year certified program by the U.S.
215
00:14:04.899 --> 00:14:07.980
Department of Labor. So that's an important feature because when
216
00:14:08.019 --> 00:14:11.730
they're done, they are certified as a journeyperson electrician. That
217
00:14:11.789 --> 00:14:15.419
is good in all 50 states. Different states have different
218
00:14:15.500 --> 00:14:20.049
licensing requirements. So there's always a difference between a license
219
00:14:20.269 --> 00:14:23.549
and a certification. People get those two mixed up all
220
00:14:23.590 --> 00:14:27.399
the time. A license, think of it as you have
221
00:14:27.419 --> 00:14:31.080
a driver's license from the state of Georgia or Alabama
222
00:14:31.159 --> 00:14:33.789
or wherever. So you have to have a license in
223
00:14:33.809 --> 00:14:37.100
a different state. or driving, and it's pretty much the
224
00:14:37.139 --> 00:14:40.419
same for electricians. You have different licenses in different states,
225
00:14:40.679 --> 00:14:43.639
and there are different requirements to get a license in
226
00:14:43.679 --> 00:14:47.620
different states. But the certification we provide in our four-year
227
00:14:47.659 --> 00:14:50.980
program allows you to go set for exam or get
228
00:14:51.019 --> 00:14:54.639
the license in that particular state. Because again, it's U.S.
229
00:14:54.679 --> 00:14:57.379
Department of Labor certified, 8,000 hours of on-the-job training, they
230
00:14:57.399 --> 00:15:03.490
have to have 576 hours of classroom training, So it's
231
00:15:03.629 --> 00:15:10.279
pretty rigorous training because electrical, I mean, it's far-reaching. It's residential.
232
00:15:10.379 --> 00:15:15.460
It's industrial. It's commercial. It's renovation. It's new build. It's
233
00:15:15.840 --> 00:15:18.679
the new technologies, like we've talked about, that are constantly
234
00:15:18.720 --> 00:15:22.279
needing new skills. And they have to come back for
235
00:15:22.320 --> 00:15:24.590
continued education all the time because ….
236
00:15:24.350 --> 00:15:25.789
I was going to say.
237
00:15:26.230 --> 00:15:28.629
Yeah. Continued education. Yeah.
238
00:15:28.649 --> 00:15:32.309
You do. Okay. Yeah. On a regular basis. Is there
239
00:15:32.330 --> 00:15:35.309
a certain amount of requirement of educational hours.
240
00:15:34.870 --> 00:15:38.070
In a year? In the state of Georgia, it's four
241
00:15:38.129 --> 00:15:42.629
hours per year. And I might also add, in the
242
00:15:42.669 --> 00:15:46.330
state of Georgia, there is no licensing for an electrician,
243
00:15:47.070 --> 00:15:50.809
which really mystifies a lot of people, that there's no
244
00:15:50.889 --> 00:15:54.649
license for an electrician. There's a license for an electrical contractor.
245
00:15:55.299 --> 00:15:59.990
but not an electrician. So all the electricians work underneath
246
00:16:00.029 --> 00:16:05.049
the license of the electrical contractor, which makes our certification
247
00:16:05.129 --> 00:16:07.860
even more important because if there's no license, how do
248
00:16:07.879 --> 00:16:11.159
you know that they have the skill sets? If they
249
00:16:11.179 --> 00:16:14.200
go through our certified program, you know they have 8,000
250
00:16:14.200 --> 00:16:18.580
hours of OJT, 576 hours of classroom training from the U.S.
251
00:16:18.620 --> 00:16:19.490
Department of Labor.
252
00:16:20.789 --> 00:16:21.330
I didn't know that.
253
00:16:22.669 --> 00:16:26.710
I mean, it's funny because you have to have a
254
00:16:26.789 --> 00:16:29.389
license to cut hair, but you don't have to have
255
00:16:29.409 --> 00:16:33.649
a license to be an electrician. Now, IBC, I would
256
00:16:33.669 --> 00:16:39.700
love to see licensing for electricians, but down south here,
257
00:16:39.759 --> 00:16:41.679
we don't like to be told what to do. We
258
00:16:41.700 --> 00:16:44.440
don't want to have flat licenses.
259
00:16:46.059 --> 00:16:48.259
Like you said, getting a license to cut hair is
260
00:16:48.379 --> 00:16:51.600
one thing, but not getting it? And you can wire?
261
00:16:53.100 --> 00:16:56.559
Well, again, there's licensing for electrical contractors, but again, not
262
00:16:56.600 --> 00:17:02.250
for individual electricians. Now, you go to another state and
263
00:17:02.289 --> 00:17:06.440
there is licensing. Some states have licensing for apprentices. Some
264
00:17:06.460 --> 00:17:10.619
of them have licenses. The farther west you go, the
265
00:17:10.640 --> 00:17:13.950
farther north you go, you have more licenses. And it's
266
00:17:13.990 --> 00:17:17.549
kind of, some people say it's kind of like the protecting,
267
00:17:17.630 --> 00:17:20.230
you know, it's like to go to boys. You can't
268
00:17:20.430 --> 00:17:22.309
work unless you have a license. So they make you
269
00:17:22.369 --> 00:17:26.509
get a license. So that's a concept behind lack of
270
00:17:26.569 --> 00:17:29.480
license in Georgia. Let's everyone go, you know, let them
271
00:17:29.519 --> 00:17:33.759
go to work. Don't have a barrier to go to
272
00:17:33.799 --> 00:17:37.400
work to make sure you have a license. Yeah. There's
273
00:17:37.440 --> 00:17:40.339
no right or wrong. It's just the way it is. Right, right. Yeah.
274
00:17:40.380 --> 00:17:42.289
And I can see this in the North and the West,
275
00:17:42.349 --> 00:17:45.690
especially the North with unions and stuff. It's also a
276
00:17:45.690 --> 00:17:48.950
way of protecting those jobs, right, from having too many
277
00:17:48.990 --> 00:17:52.470
people flooding into it, I guess. And I understand the
278
00:17:52.490 --> 00:17:54.759
philosophy down here, too. But like you said, I mean,
279
00:17:55.519 --> 00:17:58.859
if you're certified, at least someone knows that you know
280
00:17:58.900 --> 00:17:59.420
what you're doing.
281
00:18:00.299 --> 00:18:04.690
Right. A certification going through our program really is a
282
00:18:04.730 --> 00:18:08.039
lot more than getting a license, because to get a license,
283
00:18:08.420 --> 00:18:11.819
you just go take a test. And one day you
284
00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:14.380
can have a license. Our program is four years long.
285
00:18:15.339 --> 00:18:17.740
So she told me that. And I was thinking it
286
00:18:17.769 --> 00:18:19.509
was two years long. And you said, no, no, it's
287
00:18:19.569 --> 00:18:20.410
four years.
288
00:18:20.170 --> 00:18:23.849
And four years. Again, there's now we could make it
289
00:18:23.970 --> 00:18:28.099
shorter in terms of the classroom instruction. But you have
290
00:18:28.119 --> 00:18:31.640
to have 8,000 hours of on-the-job training, which is four
291
00:18:31.660 --> 00:18:34.519
years long. And that's what the Department of Labor, it's
292
00:18:34.579 --> 00:18:36.349
a national federal standard.
293
00:18:36.369 --> 00:18:41.569
So is most of your students coming through apprenticeship or
294
00:18:41.589 --> 00:18:43.849
through companies, right? They're coming through your.
295
00:18:44.930 --> 00:18:48.799
Yes, we have, again, we have 300 electrical contractors and
296
00:18:48.819 --> 00:18:52.420
they enroll their people in our apprenticeship program. However... We
297
00:18:52.460 --> 00:18:55.740
do a lot of workforce. So we have two full-time recruiters.
298
00:18:55.779 --> 00:18:59.529
They go out to the schools, the faith-based organizations, anywhere
299
00:18:59.569 --> 00:19:02.789
they can to talk about the opportunity to come in
300
00:19:03.069 --> 00:19:06.029
to the electrical industry and make a really good living.
301
00:19:06.809 --> 00:19:09.789
We also do a lot of social media marketing and
302
00:19:09.950 --> 00:19:13.579
digital marketing out there. So we're getting 10 applications a
303
00:19:13.819 --> 00:19:16.859
day for our apprenticeship program. It's each and every day.
304
00:19:17.640 --> 00:19:21.160
And then We have different ways to run them through
305
00:19:21.180 --> 00:19:24.809
to make sure that they're interested in becoming an electrician.
306
00:19:25.289 --> 00:19:28.970
We have open houses. We have job fairs. We have
307
00:19:28.990 --> 00:19:31.670
a pre-apprenticeship program for people that don't know the difference
308
00:19:31.690 --> 00:19:34.069
between a flathead and a Phillips screwdriver and how to
309
00:19:34.089 --> 00:19:37.299
read a tape measure. Then that leads them into the
310
00:19:37.359 --> 00:19:41.509
apprenticeship program. Right now we are placing about one person
311
00:19:41.650 --> 00:19:44.470
each and every day with our member contractors based upon
312
00:19:44.529 --> 00:19:48.470
our workforce services. So again, we're funneling people to our
313
00:19:48.529 --> 00:19:52.640
contractors for their hiring consideration and their enrolling people that
314
00:19:52.680 --> 00:19:54.299
they have found on their own.
315
00:19:54.960 --> 00:19:58.359
So walk me through real quick. What's a typical day,
316
00:19:58.480 --> 00:20:01.670
let's say, of someone that enters the program as a
317
00:20:01.750 --> 00:20:06.329
skilled electrician or to become a skilled electrician as an apprentice?
318
00:20:07.119 --> 00:20:09.609
So someone that's working as an apprentice, what would that
319
00:20:09.650 --> 00:20:10.089
look like?
320
00:20:10.529 --> 00:20:15.710
Sure. So, again, they get enrolled in our apprenticeship program.
321
00:20:16.150 --> 00:20:19.410
And it is an enrollment not only with us but
322
00:20:19.430 --> 00:20:21.470
with the U.S. Department of Labor. So they have a
323
00:20:21.859 --> 00:20:25.319
certification as an apprentice with the U.S. Department of Labor,
324
00:20:26.119 --> 00:20:29.839
which is an important piece that, you know, from other
325
00:20:29.880 --> 00:20:33.940
programs that are not certified like ours, it's not really
326
00:20:33.960 --> 00:20:36.140
an enrollment. The Department of Labor is just enrolled in
327
00:20:36.190 --> 00:20:40.089
that school. So they're enrolled in our program. They are
328
00:20:40.130 --> 00:20:45.950
working usually eight hours a day. And we call it
329
00:20:46.049 --> 00:20:49.089
earn while you learn. So they're working in the program.
330
00:20:49.109 --> 00:20:52.450
They're working in the industry, getting paid for that. So
331
00:20:52.490 --> 00:20:55.769
they're progressively making more money as they go through the
332
00:20:55.809 --> 00:20:59.470
four years because they get both on-the-job training from the
333
00:20:59.529 --> 00:21:03.450
contractor as well as attend class. Usually it's one night
334
00:21:03.490 --> 00:21:05.170
a week for three and a half hours they go
335
00:21:05.210 --> 00:21:07.789
to class, and then they have the summer off. So
336
00:21:07.849 --> 00:21:10.509
each of our program years are a little bit different.
337
00:21:10.569 --> 00:21:13.690
First year is residential. Second year is more theory and code.
338
00:21:14.250 --> 00:21:18.049
Third year is motor controls. Fourth year is more electrical
339
00:21:18.109 --> 00:21:21.009
design and some of the specialty trades like the fire
340
00:21:21.049 --> 00:21:24.849
alarm and EV charging and so forth. So there's a
341
00:21:24.869 --> 00:21:27.450
lot to cover in all that. The code book that
342
00:21:27.509 --> 00:21:31.309
everyone has to wire everything by is is about two
343
00:21:31.329 --> 00:21:35.009
or three inches thick and it is what we consider
344
00:21:35.049 --> 00:21:37.650
the bible for the electrician everything has to be wired
345
00:21:37.690 --> 00:21:40.700
according to that code book and it gets thicker and
346
00:21:40.779 --> 00:21:43.599
thicker and thicker every three years when it's when it
347
00:21:43.700 --> 00:21:45.200
is revised.
348
00:21:45.339 --> 00:21:48.609
Wow damn okay so but they're earning money as they're
349
00:21:48.619 --> 00:21:52.220
going they may not be may not be You know,
350
00:21:52.240 --> 00:21:55.140
what is the range, for example, for someone?
351
00:21:55.539 --> 00:21:58.759
They can start, depending upon, you know, where they reside
352
00:21:59.019 --> 00:22:01.609
and how much skills they have to start with, might
353
00:22:01.660 --> 00:22:05.849
start at somewhere between $ 17 to $ 20 an hour is
354
00:22:05.890 --> 00:22:09.730
kind of the starting range. And they're going to top out. Again,
355
00:22:09.789 --> 00:22:12.190
we're a merit shop. We're not union. So you're based
356
00:22:12.289 --> 00:22:17.960
upon your skills that you accumulate, your merit. So... The
357
00:22:18.069 --> 00:22:20.440
average might be, when they finish, might be anywhere from
358
00:22:20.440 --> 00:22:23.829
$ 25 to $ 30 an hour just after their four years.
359
00:22:23.869 --> 00:22:27.410
So now you're just beginning as an electrician after the
360
00:22:27.490 --> 00:22:30.890
four years. You're an apprentice during those four years. So
361
00:22:31.690 --> 00:22:34.609
you could be close to doubling your earnings in four
362
00:22:34.650 --> 00:22:35.769
years if you're really good.
363
00:22:35.789 --> 00:22:40.190
Okay. And showing up. I guess that's part of it, right?
364
00:22:40.210 --> 00:22:40.710
To show up.
365
00:22:42.009 --> 00:22:44.869
My contractors tell me the most important thing they want
366
00:22:45.289 --> 00:22:49.789
is someone with work ethic. Show up consistently and do
367
00:22:49.829 --> 00:22:53.319
your job. And, you know, because they say, you know,
368
00:22:53.410 --> 00:22:56.400
we can teach them the skills. It's hard to teach
369
00:22:56.460 --> 00:22:59.099
them work ethic if they don't already have it.
370
00:22:59.400 --> 00:23:07.329
Yeah, that is tough. So being a good parent of
371
00:23:07.369 --> 00:23:11.349
a high school kid, let's say, and trying to choose between,
372
00:23:11.369 --> 00:23:15.480
you know, there's– Is my kid motivated enough to go
373
00:23:15.539 --> 00:23:17.880
to a four-year college? And then what are they going
374
00:23:17.900 --> 00:23:19.930
to study? Well, maybe they don't even know what they
375
00:23:19.970 --> 00:23:21.769
want to do yet, and they're going to waste the
376
00:23:21.809 --> 00:23:24.269
first year or two trying to figure that out, right?
377
00:23:24.809 --> 00:23:27.950
And maybe they're going to a high-end college, spending that
378
00:23:28.009 --> 00:23:32.250
money versus, let's say, Gwinnett College and spending a little
379
00:23:32.289 --> 00:23:35.069
less money maybe, and then deciding once they know what
380
00:23:35.109 --> 00:23:39.329
to do, where to go. What do you tell parents
381
00:23:40.150 --> 00:23:45.490
that want to– see about the kids going into skilled trades?
382
00:23:45.549 --> 00:23:47.359
What do you tell them? How do you guide them?
383
00:23:48.490 --> 00:23:50.920
Well, there are a couple different things. One is there's
384
00:23:50.960 --> 00:23:53.720
no college debt when you go through our program. The
385
00:23:53.779 --> 00:23:57.160
contractor is paying the tuition and books for that individual
386
00:23:57.200 --> 00:24:00.900
because they're going to get a more skilled worker by
387
00:24:00.940 --> 00:24:04.670
going through the program. So number one, there's no college debt.
388
00:24:05.329 --> 00:24:09.250
And you don't really have to have any skills to
389
00:24:09.289 --> 00:24:11.930
start a program. Again, the number one thing they have
390
00:24:11.970 --> 00:24:16.049
to have is work ethic. So as a parent, making
391
00:24:16.130 --> 00:24:18.779
sure that they understand they have to show up, they
392
00:24:18.799 --> 00:24:22.079
have to be consistent. That's really one of the best
393
00:24:22.119 --> 00:24:25.579
things that you can teach your son or daughter is
394
00:24:25.640 --> 00:24:29.119
show up and do what you're supposed to do. If
395
00:24:29.160 --> 00:24:34.000
you show up, the skills can be taught. So the
396
00:24:34.019 --> 00:24:37.470
other thing is there's very few jobs that you can
397
00:24:37.490 --> 00:24:41.410
go through after maybe five, six years, you can own
398
00:24:41.430 --> 00:24:43.319
your own company. I mean, you can go through and
399
00:24:43.359 --> 00:24:46.319
become an electrician. If you're a good electrician, you know,
400
00:24:46.460 --> 00:24:49.480
in another couple of years, you've learned it, you can
401
00:24:49.539 --> 00:24:52.599
open your own shop. I mean, and that happens all
402
00:24:52.640 --> 00:24:56.759
the time. And let me tell you, electricians easily, if
403
00:24:57.319 --> 00:25:02.630
they're good, make six figures. And so it is a
404
00:25:02.730 --> 00:25:07.920
future for them. And it is not just in Atlanta
405
00:25:07.980 --> 00:25:11.759
or Georgia, there's a demand. There's a demand nationwide. So
406
00:25:12.579 --> 00:25:15.049
they can go anywhere they want, write their own ticket.
407
00:25:15.400 --> 00:25:19.309
There are so many different subsets of the electrical industry
408
00:25:19.349 --> 00:25:22.170
that they can get into. I mean, I always tell them,
409
00:25:23.029 --> 00:25:28.069
when you're young, you do start digging ditches and crawling
410
00:25:28.109 --> 00:25:32.390
on your belly. It's physical work. But we always say
411
00:25:32.450 --> 00:25:34.730
you dig your way out of the ditch as you
412
00:25:34.869 --> 00:25:39.009
learn more skill sets. And you slowly, then as your
413
00:25:39.490 --> 00:25:42.549
body starts to slow down, then you need to be
414
00:25:42.589 --> 00:25:44.690
able to work your way into the office. And you
415
00:25:44.710 --> 00:25:49.579
can become a foreman, a superintendent, a project manager, an estimator,
416
00:25:49.670 --> 00:25:53.740
an owner. So you can make that transition as you
417
00:25:53.759 --> 00:25:56.799
start to slow down and use your mind and less
418
00:25:56.859 --> 00:26:01.140
of your body. But the thing is, what a parent...
419
00:26:01.680 --> 00:26:03.769
You need to look to see, is your son or daughter,
420
00:26:03.789 --> 00:26:06.170
do they like to work with their hands? Do they
421
00:26:06.210 --> 00:26:10.950
like to continue to go from different places? Because the
422
00:26:10.990 --> 00:26:13.490
buildings don't usually come to you. You have to go
423
00:26:13.539 --> 00:26:20.500
to the buildings, right? So there is movement there. They
424
00:26:20.519 --> 00:26:23.180
can actually see the country if that's what they want
425
00:26:23.220 --> 00:26:27.990
to do, is move around as well. So it's a great,
426
00:26:28.089 --> 00:26:32.670
great opportunity. But, you know, again, it is a challenge
427
00:26:32.769 --> 00:26:37.250
because in the apprenticeship program, they are working full time.
428
00:26:37.509 --> 00:26:39.779
They're working eight hours a day and, you know, they're
429
00:26:39.819 --> 00:26:43.019
getting up at five, six o'clock. The job sites usually
430
00:26:43.059 --> 00:26:45.200
start at 7 a.m. You got to be at the
431
00:26:45.240 --> 00:26:48.700
job site and ready to roll at seven. And you
432
00:26:48.720 --> 00:26:52.019
work till normally three. Then you come to our class
433
00:26:52.039 --> 00:26:54.539
to start at 530 and you start setting in class
434
00:26:54.599 --> 00:26:57.289
for three and a half hours or online if that's
435
00:26:57.369 --> 00:26:59.329
the method you've chosen.
436
00:27:00.430 --> 00:27:03.509
So you could do this online too, except for the
437
00:27:03.549 --> 00:27:05.410
parts where you have to physically be in.
438
00:27:05.990 --> 00:27:09.569
Right. Over half of our apprentices are attending online. And
439
00:27:09.589 --> 00:27:13.710
we have seven locations across the state of Georgia. So
440
00:27:13.769 --> 00:27:17.069
they can do it online, but then they can come
441
00:27:17.190 --> 00:27:21.230
into one of our training locations and do more hands-on
442
00:27:21.309 --> 00:27:21.910
work as well.
443
00:27:22.829 --> 00:27:24.250
And it's one day a week, you said?
444
00:27:24.269 --> 00:27:25.359
Correct.
445
00:27:25.430 --> 00:27:25.579
Yes.
446
00:27:26.019 --> 00:27:26.190
Yes.
447
00:27:27.039 --> 00:27:31.619
Is there special abilities like math, problem solving, understanding any
448
00:27:31.660 --> 00:27:36.000
of those things that make a better electrician or helpful?
449
00:27:36.559 --> 00:27:41.319
Yeah, math is critical. Reading is critical, but math is
450
00:27:41.359 --> 00:27:44.809
probably the most critical. We give everyone a math test
451
00:27:44.950 --> 00:27:47.930
when they apply for the apprenticeship program. If they don't
452
00:27:48.029 --> 00:27:52.650
pass the math test, then we provide them a refresher
453
00:27:52.670 --> 00:27:54.910
math course so they can get their skills back up
454
00:27:54.950 --> 00:28:00.289
to that level because you're You're doing some calculations. You know,
455
00:28:00.589 --> 00:28:03.670
when you look even at a, you know, you're not
456
00:28:03.690 --> 00:28:07.750
really designing necessarily as an electrician, but there is math
457
00:28:07.829 --> 00:28:10.890
involved in, you know, just measuring, you know, to how
458
00:28:10.930 --> 00:28:14.589
many feet of wire you need to use to wire
459
00:28:14.650 --> 00:28:19.049
up something. So math is really a critical feature. But again,
460
00:28:19.470 --> 00:28:22.940
we're providing them with the math. refresher course if they
461
00:28:22.980 --> 00:28:27.150
don't have that math skills. Just like anything, use it
462
00:28:27.180 --> 00:28:30.470
or lose it. We're all like that.
463
00:28:31.109 --> 00:28:35.529
Yeah, no, for sure. What's the throughput of that wire
464
00:28:35.609 --> 00:28:38.950
and stuff? You're going to put in the right wiring
465
00:28:38.970 --> 00:28:41.970
for that electrical use. You're bending pipe, so you have to.
466
00:28:41.930 --> 00:28:48.630
Know I have to bend pipe a 90 degree. and
467
00:28:49.009 --> 00:28:52.109
calculation of how much pipe do I need, because that's
468
00:28:52.150 --> 00:28:55.970
more of a commercial application. So depending upon the application,
469
00:28:56.529 --> 00:29:01.599
you have to know math in most every situation. And
470
00:29:01.650 --> 00:29:04.740
it's not high-level math, unless that's the direction you want
471
00:29:04.779 --> 00:29:08.140
to go. Right, right.
472
00:29:08.420 --> 00:29:12.839
As far as shortages within the industry, within the electrical space,
473
00:29:13.599 --> 00:29:16.779
are there specific areas where there's shortage of types of employees?
474
00:29:19.099 --> 00:29:23.200
The estimate is that we're shorting at least 80,000 workers
475
00:29:23.259 --> 00:29:27.039
in the coming years, and a fifth of our workers
476
00:29:27.119 --> 00:29:31.049
are over the age of 50. They're aging out, so
477
00:29:31.069 --> 00:29:33.250
we need to replace those that are aging out. and
478
00:29:33.289 --> 00:29:36.410
we need to, as more work comes in, we need
479
00:29:36.630 --> 00:29:42.400
to bring more people in. So it's really across the board.
480
00:29:42.420 --> 00:29:47.119
I would say probably the most difficult area to find
481
00:29:47.160 --> 00:29:51.960
people is in service work. Because you have to be
482
00:29:52.079 --> 00:29:55.539
presentable if you're going to go into someone's house. You
483
00:29:55.579 --> 00:29:58.690
have to have manners. You have to know how to
484
00:29:59.589 --> 00:30:03.309
deal with the housewife or the house husband or whoever
485
00:30:03.349 --> 00:30:05.650
when you walk in that house. Or even if you're
486
00:30:05.690 --> 00:30:08.309
going into a bank or other place to do service work,
487
00:30:09.009 --> 00:30:14.359
you have to be well-dressed and hair neat and all that,
488
00:30:14.980 --> 00:30:18.160
as well as you're on your own. So you have
489
00:30:18.180 --> 00:30:23.960
to problem solve. You know, washer isn't working. Electrical was,
490
00:30:24.099 --> 00:30:25.779
you know, I don't know why it's not working. So
491
00:30:25.799 --> 00:30:28.269
you have to be able to troubleshoot that on your own.
492
00:30:29.240 --> 00:30:31.809
You can certainly call their office and send pictures. But,
493
00:30:32.309 --> 00:30:35.529
you know, if you can troubleshoot, you're presentable. And then
494
00:30:35.549 --> 00:30:37.329
you actually have to have the skills to do that,
495
00:30:37.890 --> 00:30:40.349
you know, to correct what it is. So service is
496
00:30:40.490 --> 00:30:46.400
always the most difficult area to find and to train. But,
497
00:30:46.420 --> 00:30:51.039
you know, there's also other specific areas like motor controls.
498
00:30:51.099 --> 00:30:54.089
You're going to a factory and, you know, it's conveyor
499
00:30:54.130 --> 00:30:59.069
belts and the robotics. Those are all very more difficult relays.
500
00:30:59.210 --> 00:31:03.319
And so that's a specific skill set that takes additional training,
501
00:31:03.339 --> 00:31:09.609
I would say. Your standard commercial electrician that's working in
502
00:31:10.109 --> 00:31:12.710
a high-rise that's doing the same thing over and over
503
00:31:12.769 --> 00:31:16.190
and over again, that's probably the least skill set that's
504
00:31:16.230 --> 00:31:18.650
needed because you're doing the same thing over and over.
505
00:31:18.670 --> 00:31:22.809
So it really depends upon the type of application or
506
00:31:22.849 --> 00:31:25.890
type of electrician that someone is needing.
507
00:31:26.690 --> 00:31:28.349
Sounds like to me the.
508
00:31:29.960 --> 00:31:33.160
It's like an EV car, right? So being a mechanic
509
00:31:33.440 --> 00:31:38.420
meant carburetors and stuff and brakes and things. But now
510
00:31:38.569 --> 00:31:41.430
when you talk about EV cars, which are getting a
511
00:31:41.869 --> 00:31:45.069
little bit more complex, but also simpler, right? Almost takes
512
00:31:45.109 --> 00:31:49.150
an electrician, let's say, to handle an EV car. You
513
00:31:49.170 --> 00:31:52.910
don't even have to be like an automobile mechanic anymore.
514
00:31:53.289 --> 00:31:54.890
You have to be more of an electrician to be
515
00:31:54.930 --> 00:31:58.460
able to work that system. So there are more jobs
516
00:31:59.180 --> 00:32:02.960
sounds like to me coming on than 30 years ago existed,
517
00:32:02.980 --> 00:32:06.509
like you said before. Things are changing. Is that your
518
00:32:06.549 --> 00:32:10.410
coursework has to change? You may have to even, you know,
519
00:32:10.430 --> 00:32:12.630
if you see someone wants to get into the EV
520
00:32:12.670 --> 00:32:15.920
field or robotics, do any of the brands actually help
521
00:32:16.339 --> 00:32:20.500
out a little bit? I know, for example, Mercedes-Benz, for example,
522
00:32:20.559 --> 00:32:23.049
I think with I forget if it was Gwinnett College
523
00:32:23.130 --> 00:32:27.049
or Gwinnett Technical. They actually have them build the program.
524
00:32:27.609 --> 00:32:30.029
So then when they graduate, they go right into a
525
00:32:30.069 --> 00:32:34.609
Mercedes plant. Is there anything along those lines? Oh, sure.
526
00:32:34.970 --> 00:32:37.930
I just was on a call earlier, Dave, at Generac Generators.
527
00:32:38.289 --> 00:32:42.009
They just donated a generator to us because they don't
528
00:32:42.089 --> 00:32:46.490
have enough people trained to install their generators. So they're
529
00:32:46.539 --> 00:32:52.430
coming to us to help, to say, hey, Generators. So
530
00:32:52.880 --> 00:32:57.579
that's part of it. I've got I got Milwaukee is very,
531
00:32:57.619 --> 00:33:02.950
very good on donating hand tools to us because obviously
532
00:33:02.970 --> 00:33:06.970
they want our folks trained on Milwaukee. And so they're very,
533
00:33:07.009 --> 00:33:11.619
very good about donating to us. So you've got, you know,
534
00:33:11.779 --> 00:33:14.980
and Home Depot is a very huge sponsor because they
535
00:33:15.019 --> 00:33:18.900
understand if they're trained electricians, there's no one to buy
536
00:33:18.940 --> 00:33:22.700
their product. So they are very helpful to us in
537
00:33:22.740 --> 00:33:26.700
terms of sponsorships and helping donate to us so that
538
00:33:26.740 --> 00:33:30.859
we can buy smart TVs for our classrooms and stuff.
539
00:33:31.380 --> 00:33:33.579
do a better job of training. So there's a lot
540
00:33:33.619 --> 00:33:36.619
of people that come to us and are constantly saying,
541
00:33:37.049 --> 00:33:39.940
how can we help? Because we all know the shortage
542
00:33:39.960 --> 00:33:41.549
of electricians in the industry.
543
00:33:42.349 --> 00:33:45.170
Interesting. Before we got on, I think I mentioned to
544
00:33:45.190 --> 00:33:49.250
you that we were having internet connection difficulties before, and
545
00:33:49.269 --> 00:33:51.109
we sort of froze up there for a second. So
546
00:33:51.150 --> 00:33:55.089
if anyone notices that, it's because AT & T outage
547
00:33:55.130 --> 00:33:58.029
or degradation was happening. So someone's going to be called
548
00:33:58.109 --> 00:34:02.069
out to fix that. A skilled trade person.
549
00:34:02.089 --> 00:34:03.069
Yeah, exactly.
550
00:34:05.130 --> 00:34:10.250
So, okay, we covered quite a bit. You know, I guess,
551
00:34:11.730 --> 00:34:14.699
how do you expose high school kids to this? Because really,
552
00:34:14.719 --> 00:34:17.760
you have to start somewhere, right? I think when I
553
00:34:17.800 --> 00:34:21.590
spoke to you some weeks ago, I was asking about
554
00:34:22.070 --> 00:34:24.989
the change in the student population that you've been seeing.
555
00:34:25.530 --> 00:34:27.789
And I think you shared that you're seeing more and
556
00:34:27.809 --> 00:34:32.380
more younger people coming to you versus the 30, 40-year-olds
557
00:34:32.440 --> 00:34:35.820
maybe wanting to re-educate or something. Now you're seeing younger
558
00:34:35.880 --> 00:34:40.239
people coming. But how do you get to those kids,
559
00:34:40.599 --> 00:34:43.530
high school kids? Do you bring the shop into high school?
560
00:34:43.659 --> 00:34:45.730
I mean, how do you do that to convince them
561
00:34:46.210 --> 00:34:47.710
maybe this is where they should go?
562
00:34:48.570 --> 00:34:52.469
Sure. So I mentioned I have two full-time recruiters. They
563
00:34:52.510 --> 00:34:55.809
go into high schools and do the show and tell,
564
00:34:55.889 --> 00:35:00.360
talk to them about the opportunity and the trades. We also,
565
00:35:00.539 --> 00:35:05.880
if possible, we've had busloads of students come in here
566
00:35:06.099 --> 00:35:09.840
and tour our facility and talk to them. We also
567
00:35:09.940 --> 00:35:14.699
work with the guidance counselors to tell them about the opportunity.
568
00:35:15.289 --> 00:35:18.769
We've been preaching this for years and years and years
569
00:35:18.789 --> 00:35:22.039
that there's such a great opportunity. We're finally starting to
570
00:35:22.079 --> 00:35:26.219
turn the corner where that's why we're going at 20-25%
571
00:35:26.780 --> 00:35:29.489
enrollment each and every of the last four to five
572
00:35:29.550 --> 00:35:34.730
years because we've been talking about this opportunity and People
573
00:35:34.769 --> 00:35:37.250
are now seeing, hey, I can go into the skilled
574
00:35:37.289 --> 00:35:40.250
trades and make a lot better money than I can
575
00:35:40.309 --> 00:35:42.429
going through a four-year program, and now I have a
576
00:35:42.469 --> 00:35:45.929
bachelor's degree in history, and what do I do with that?
577
00:35:46.530 --> 00:35:50.110
Versus I'm an electrician, and I can make darn good money.
578
00:35:50.719 --> 00:35:52.860
One of the sayings we have is, my color may
579
00:35:52.900 --> 00:35:55.079
be blue, but I make more money than you.
580
00:35:55.099 --> 00:36:01.719
I like that. You mentioned that once before. Right. I
581
00:36:01.760 --> 00:36:04.159
guess what maybe could be a worry for some people,
582
00:36:04.179 --> 00:36:06.400
and we talked about it before about AI and stuff,
583
00:36:06.860 --> 00:36:09.420
but what could be a worry about people is what
584
00:36:09.460 --> 00:36:13.679
makes you optimistic that over the next 20, 30 years,
585
00:36:15.059 --> 00:36:18.760
these types of jobs will still be good, strong jobs
586
00:36:18.880 --> 00:36:19.739
for a young person?
587
00:36:20.679 --> 00:36:25.239
Well, yeah. We're always going to have a need for electricity, always.
588
00:36:25.659 --> 00:36:31.570
And AI cannot replace all aspects. Who knows what the
589
00:36:31.630 --> 00:36:34.409
future holds? I mean, we don't really know for sure.
590
00:36:35.030 --> 00:36:39.340
But we talked about data centers earlier, and they're being built.
591
00:36:39.500 --> 00:36:43.099
And at some point, well, probably, they will be built out.
592
00:36:43.119 --> 00:36:46.170
What will happen is you have to go back in.
593
00:36:46.670 --> 00:36:50.769
and retool them, rewire them, and re-upgrade them. So we
594
00:36:50.809 --> 00:36:53.670
don't even know what the future holds even in the
595
00:36:54.150 --> 00:36:59.239
AI and the data centers because of the evolution of
596
00:36:59.300 --> 00:37:07.650
them right now. So I'm optimistic because, number one, we're
597
00:37:07.889 --> 00:37:12.329
continuing to evolve. like I said before, there are the
598
00:37:12.449 --> 00:37:16.519
EV charging, the data centers and all, that wasn't there five, six,
599
00:37:16.679 --> 00:37:20.219
ten years ago. So what's going to be Amongst us
600
00:37:20.460 --> 00:37:22.860
in the future that we don't even know about and
601
00:37:22.920 --> 00:37:25.079
it's all gonna take power I mean, it's all it's
602
00:37:25.159 --> 00:37:27.699
all energy no matter how you look at it. We
603
00:37:27.780 --> 00:37:31.260
all need energy to do whatever we're doing You know,
604
00:37:31.699 --> 00:37:34.039
it's what's the first thing you do in the morning
605
00:37:34.099 --> 00:37:37.079
is turn off your alarm It's powered by electricity last
606
00:37:37.099 --> 00:37:39.320
thing you do at night turn off the light and
607
00:37:39.500 --> 00:37:42.860
everything in between is electricity So I can never see
608
00:37:42.900 --> 00:37:46.179
that going away. So there's going to be such an
609
00:37:46.260 --> 00:37:49.809
opportunity to currently, but the opportunity is only going to
610
00:37:49.849 --> 00:37:51.929
grow into more areas that we don't even know about.
611
00:37:51.949 --> 00:37:55.710
Yeah, I totally agree. I live in a house that's
612
00:37:55.730 --> 00:38:00.460
probably 35 years old, wired from over three decades ago,
613
00:38:01.179 --> 00:38:07.019
and having to deal with multiple devices, a dozen, two
614
00:38:07.059 --> 00:38:12.710
dozen devices, computer, just having to rewire some of the house.
615
00:38:14.030 --> 00:38:16.889
Can't rewire the whole house because that's just crazy, but
616
00:38:17.329 --> 00:38:20.829
Even just rewiring an office like my office here needs
617
00:38:20.869 --> 00:38:22.829
an electrician to come in to be able to do
618
00:38:22.849 --> 00:38:24.829
certain things. You've got to snake the wires through the
619
00:38:24.889 --> 00:38:28.250
right walls. You've got to put the right cable in
620
00:38:28.289 --> 00:38:31.210
the category cable of six or five or whatever you're
621
00:38:31.269 --> 00:38:32.989
using for internet.
622
00:38:34.150 --> 00:38:35.769
And don't forget the breakers. You're going to have to
623
00:38:35.789 --> 00:38:36.449
have new breakers.
624
00:38:36.769 --> 00:38:42.030
The breakers. I haven't even asked that question. It's like
625
00:38:42.530 --> 00:38:46.289
my box is packed out. Is there any way to...
626
00:38:47.340 --> 00:38:50.079
Add another box next to it or to expand this box.
627
00:38:50.500 --> 00:38:52.280
I just had a new box added to my house.
628
00:38:52.699 --> 00:38:53.039
Did you?
629
00:38:53.320 --> 00:38:57.480
I need to talk to you. It's just like it's
630
00:38:57.519 --> 00:39:00.679
amazing because you have more more things in the house
631
00:39:00.820 --> 00:39:03.570
and not just more things, but you know how they
632
00:39:03.610 --> 00:39:06.269
say sometimes, you know, that washer and dryer lasted for
633
00:39:06.269 --> 00:39:10.449
30 years. Oh, yeah, fine. But the new ones have
634
00:39:10.489 --> 00:39:14.260
more stuff to them. They're Bluetooth. They're wired into your
635
00:39:14.460 --> 00:39:17.980
apps and stuff. They draw more electricity, maybe, as efficient
636
00:39:18.079 --> 00:39:21.679
as they may be. Yeah, so there's all that. So
637
00:39:22.449 --> 00:39:24.630
it's right in front of us, all the changes that
638
00:39:24.650 --> 00:39:27.829
have to be made. And that's just now. Like you said,
639
00:39:27.909 --> 00:39:30.980
who knows 10 years from now, the other... changes coming.
640
00:39:31.659 --> 00:39:33.519
We're going to have to rewire the world. I mean,
641
00:39:33.579 --> 00:39:36.039
it's just like, it's not going to.
642
00:39:37.719 --> 00:39:38.139
Be easy.
643
00:39:38.480 --> 00:39:41.960
Have we forgotten anything that we should have covered that
644
00:39:42.000 --> 00:39:42.679
you want to share?
645
00:39:43.119 --> 00:39:48.030
Well, just, you know, if there's a... A parent that
646
00:39:48.469 --> 00:39:51.829
has the opportunity to send their son or daughter or
647
00:39:52.389 --> 00:39:56.619
you know uncle or anywhere I go, where I go
648
00:39:56.659 --> 00:39:58.300
to a bar to have a drink or whether I
649
00:39:58.340 --> 00:40:01.619
go to the dry cleaners, whatever, I'm always bumping into
650
00:40:01.679 --> 00:40:04.539
someone that says, I need to send so-and-so your way
651
00:40:04.599 --> 00:40:08.940
because they need a job, they need a good skilled trade.
652
00:40:09.019 --> 00:40:13.530
So it's just such a fantastic opportunity for people that,
653
00:40:14.050 --> 00:40:18.559
you know, whether it's Whether you're wanting a new opportunity,
654
00:40:18.579 --> 00:40:22.280
a new job, or whether you're looking at someone graduating
655
00:40:22.320 --> 00:40:26.789
high school, there's just such a great opportunity to make
656
00:40:26.949 --> 00:40:29.949
really good money, again, without college debt.
657
00:40:31.010 --> 00:40:33.789
And where can they find, I'm looking for your website,
658
00:40:33.829 --> 00:40:35.809
what's the website address that they can visit?
659
00:40:36.530 --> 00:40:42.349
IECAtlantaga.org. There you go.
660
00:40:43.349 --> 00:40:47.900
Right on the homepage, it talks about apprenticeships. and training
661
00:40:47.920 --> 00:40:50.420
and all that, and the partners that you guys have
662
00:40:50.519 --> 00:40:54.929
and stuff. So I would encourage anyone that has young family,
663
00:40:55.170 --> 00:40:59.570
like my kids even, although they're all like 30, 29,
664
00:40:59.570 --> 00:41:04.329
and a 22. The 22, I need to talk to maybe.
665
00:41:05.110 --> 00:41:07.889
But you should talk to your kids because even if
666
00:41:07.929 --> 00:41:11.670
they're 16 years old, not every kid, it's amazing. Even
667
00:41:11.710 --> 00:41:13.610
my kids knew this as they were going through high school.
668
00:41:14.309 --> 00:41:17.070
Not every kid is made to go to college. It
669
00:41:17.130 --> 00:41:21.300
doesn't happen that way. And some kids that learn better
670
00:41:21.389 --> 00:41:26.119
by doing, hands-on. I forget which vocational high school. I
671
00:41:26.840 --> 00:41:30.420
was at a, when I grew up, I mean, vocational
672
00:41:30.619 --> 00:41:33.780
classes were a big thing in high school. I learned
673
00:41:34.099 --> 00:41:37.110
how to print on a printing press, hands-on in high school.
674
00:41:38.289 --> 00:41:41.019
How to run an AB deck machine. The same way
675
00:41:41.059 --> 00:41:44.679
there were metal shops and woodworking shops. They disappeared over
676
00:41:44.719 --> 00:41:47.219
a period of time, right? But now they're sort of
677
00:41:47.260 --> 00:41:50.019
coming back in a different form. Old Duke STEM high
678
00:41:50.059 --> 00:41:54.320
school teaching kids how to use 3D printers, CAD, and
679
00:41:54.780 --> 00:42:00.659
all that, right? Robotics and stuff. So there are avenues
680
00:42:00.699 --> 00:42:02.780
for young kids to go through where they're not having
681
00:42:02.820 --> 00:42:06.610
to pay or go into debt $ 100, 000 to be able
682
00:42:06.639 --> 00:42:10.619
to make a really good living at this stuff. So
683
00:42:10.639 --> 00:42:13.219
I'm glad we were able to share that. I think
684
00:42:13.699 --> 00:42:16.579
maybe there's more parents out there and others that may
685
00:42:16.599 --> 00:42:19.159
be looking at this that are 30 thinking, you know,
686
00:42:19.179 --> 00:42:22.280
maybe they need to reinvent themselves a little bit. Yes.
687
00:42:22.820 --> 00:42:27.210
Yes. We have all ages, all types. And also I
688
00:42:27.210 --> 00:42:30.849
did mention we do have grant opportunities. So, you know,
689
00:42:30.889 --> 00:42:34.889
there are grants out there for individuals and the contractors.
690
00:42:37.329 --> 00:42:40.690
And also it's a great opportunity for females. Don't, don't,
691
00:42:40.710 --> 00:42:43.820
you know, everyone thinks it's, you know, for males, you know,
692
00:42:43.920 --> 00:42:47.639
I've heard how many times that females wire things much
693
00:42:47.719 --> 00:42:51.099
more neatly and a lot better than a male. So,
694
00:42:51.539 --> 00:42:55.449
you know, out there, don't think this isn't a great
695
00:42:55.489 --> 00:42:56.349
trade for you as well.
696
00:42:56.889 --> 00:42:59.309
Oh, it probably is a great trade for them to,
697
00:42:59.329 --> 00:43:00.389
to get into it at that.
698
00:43:01.550 --> 00:43:01.690
Great.
699
00:43:01.710 --> 00:43:05.750
Yeah. Happy that we had this conversation. And I think
700
00:43:05.769 --> 00:43:08.349
there'll be more of this going on at that over
701
00:43:08.369 --> 00:43:13.699
the next few months and next year or so. Thank you, Niall.
702
00:43:13.719 --> 00:43:14.800
Appreciate you being with us.
703
00:43:14.949 --> 00:43:17.679
Thanks for having me. I appreciate it. Great conversation. Yeah.
704
00:43:18.119 --> 00:43:20.940
Everyone else, hang in there with me for a minute.
705
00:43:21.300 --> 00:43:25.239
Everyone else, if you have any suggestions, any comments, you're
706
00:43:25.380 --> 00:43:29.019
either watching this on YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter. or maybe
707
00:43:29.039 --> 00:43:33.320
you're listening to this later on, on Apple or, you know,
708
00:43:33.340 --> 00:43:37.690
Spotify or something, leave your questions in the comments, uh,
709
00:43:37.710 --> 00:43:40.630
review the podcast, uh, reach out to, you can reach
710
00:43:40.869 --> 00:43:44.110
out to now through the website, obviously get some more
711
00:43:44.159 --> 00:43:47.900
information from him. We'll have links and information in the
712
00:43:47.940 --> 00:43:51.599
show notes as well. So, you know, check it out. Um,
713
00:43:52.190 --> 00:43:56.489
Great talk. And remember our skilled trades companies, if you will,
714
00:43:56.889 --> 00:44:01.889
Box Populi and EV Remodeling. Those guys support us in
715
00:44:01.909 --> 00:44:04.860
what we do and you should check them out. So
716
00:44:05.099 --> 00:44:07.059
thank you again. Appreciate you being with us.
717
00:44:07.079 --> 00:44:08.199
Thank you.
718
00:44:10.610 --> 00:44:13.289
Thank you for joining us on another episode of Urban Ebb.
719
00:44:13.690 --> 00:44:16.530
If you enjoyed today's conversation and want to stay connected
720
00:44:16.570 --> 00:44:18.869
with the heartbeat of our local cities, be sure to
721
00:44:18.909 --> 00:44:22.130
subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform. If you
722
00:44:22.150 --> 00:44:24.190
have a story to share or know someone who does,
723
00:44:24.469 --> 00:44:28.369
we'd love to hear from you. The pulse of Peachtree Corners, Norcross,
724
00:44:28.489 --> 00:44:31.949
Berkeley Lake, and Duluth beats through the dreams, actions, and
725
00:44:32.010 --> 00:44:35.929
stories of some great individuals we feature. Until next time,
726
00:44:36.210 --> 00:44:38.909
this was Urban Ebb, your gateway to the heart of
727
00:44:39.230 --> 00:44:39.670
urban living.