Thursday, December 15, 2022

The Western Electrical Contractors Association (WECA), an industry leader in electrical training and apprenticeship and contractor business services in the Western United States, is pleased to announce the expansion of its registered, electrical apprenticeship training program into Utah, having obtained approval to be a Division of Professional Licensing Recognized Electrical Apprenticeship for Utah in October 2022. 

In partnership with founding Utah Member Contractor Hunt Electric, a full-service electrical, technology and infrastructure contractor known for providing quality services which span all markets, WECA is bringing its lauded programs to meet workforce development needs in Utah. Membership and usage of its apprenticeship training program is open to all licensed electrical contractors in Utah and WECA looks forward to serving the contractor community. Cody Eaton, Operations Manager of Hunt Electric, speaks to the state’s workforce development needs, saying “Too few people looking to start a career today are familiar with the benefits of working as an electrician. Encouraging new applicants to pursue this lucrative and rewarding career that doesn’t require taking on student loan debt to get started can give them a promising future. It also benefits the industry by replacing an aging workforce with new talent.”

WECA’s newest training facility, located in Woods Cross, is intended to serve apprentices in the greater Salt Lake City region as well as the entire state of Utah. WECA will register its first Utah commercial electrical apprenticeship class in early 2023.

WECA thanks the Utah Apprenticeship community and electrical industry for their welcome. “Over the past several months WECA Utah Apprenticeship Manager and Lead Instructor Talon Pobuda and I have had the opportunity to work closely with several of the other Utah electrical apprenticeship and training programs, contractors, and educators,” says WECA Operations Director Christine Hall. “We’re grateful for the welcome we’ve received and look forward to contributing to and being part of training the future electrical workforce in Utah. It was also great to get the opportunity to attend the Apprenticeship Utah Summit and Apprenticeship Job Fair this past November 2022.”

Registered Apprenticeship is a system of learning in the classroom and receiving on-the-job training while earning wages. WECA’s apprenticeship programs are known for their high graduation counts; great reviews from apprentices and contractors alike; to-the-point, up-to-date competency-based curriculum and on the job training; and a dedicated, experienced instructional staff and administration. WECA’s apprentices attend classes in an accelerated and intensive format consisting of full-time classroom and lab instruction for two consecutive weeks every six to seven months. Each two-week session is equal to one semester. WECA’s daytime program is unique, and participants—apprentices and their sponsoring employers alike—appreciate the opportunity for apprentices to focus on their classroom and onsite lab education for these short, productive, and intense periods, rather than attending school in the evenings in a tiring and drawn-out fashion. 

WECA has provided Commercial Electrical Apprentice Training, Residential Electrical Apprenticeship, and Low Voltage Apprentice Training programs since 1992, 1997, and 2005, respectively. All of WECA’s apprenticeship programs have undergone rigorous evaluation and subsequently received college credit equivalency recommendations from the National College Credit Recommendation Service.

For over 90 years, WECA has been honored to prepare thousands of the most skilled electricians in the American West for a competitive workforce. The association currently serves over 300 member contractors, over 1,000 apprentices, and approximately 4,000 non-apprenticeship electrical students. WECA is proud to bring its programs to Utah for the benefit of its electrical industry and the development of its skilled workforce.

Interested Utah apprenticeship applicants can submit an application, and Utah electrical contractors can explore membership, at GOWECA.COM.