Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Thank You to Our Sponsors and Gift Donors for Making Graduation Special! Plus, Watch the Graduation Video and Meet Some of Our Graduates



Thank you to our Arizona Graduation sponsors and gift donors for making the event extra special and memorable for our graduates and their guests!



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Watch: WECA Arizona Class of 2022 Graduation:



Meet Some of the Grads in Our First WECA Arizona Commercial Electrical Graduating Class

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Erik Ramirez

Erik Ramirez, a WECA Arizona Commercial Electrical Apprenticeship Class of 2022 graduate, knew that his WECA education would be exceptional from the first class.

“After transitioning from a different institute over to WECA, in the first class I realized just how much better my education experience was going to be,” says Erik. “WECA’s staff is exceptional, and the instructor [Keith Smart, WECA Arizona Commercial Electrical Apprenticeship Program Manager and Instructor] was always there to support me and answer any question I had."

The quality of WECA’s education has also played a pivotal role in helping Erik prepare for his chosen career.

“Their curriculum offered a full range of topics that cover a lot of the fundamentals needed to succeed in this industry. Many of the hands-on labs were based on real-life situations in the field,” says Erik.

Additionally, Erik’s on-the-job training with his employer, WECA Arizona Founding Member Contractor Corbins, has provided opportunities to work alongside experienced coworkers and gain invaluable experience doing different scopes of work through various projects.

Outside of school and work, Erik credits his family with providing essential support every step of the way.

“The main factor that contributed to my success at WECA and in my career was and still is my family,” says Erik. “Without their support and motivation, I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am today.”

However, we suspect that Erik’s ambition and tenacity has also propelled him along his journey, as evidenced by his post-graduation plans.

“My plans after graduating are to keep growing in my career and knowledge. I won’t settle with just a journeyperson title. I want to be part of the next generation of leaders in the electrical industry,” says Erik.

Congratulations, Erik! We are proud of your hard work, determination, and success, and are confident that you will make an excellent future leader for Arizona’s commercial electrical industry.

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Chase Quillin

For WECA Arizona Commercial Electrical Apprenticeship Class of 2022 graduate Chase Quillin, WECA’s Arizona Commercial Electrical Apprenticeship program and instructor Keith Smart have given him a new perspective on the electrical industry.

“My WECA experience has consisted of constant learning and exposure to new ideas in the electrical field with real-world experience to back it up,” says Chase. “When I go to a job site now, I can understand what it is we are installing and why. With the preparation and knowledge gained at WECA, combined with the skills I’ve gained on-the-job, I am ready to tackle any task presented to me.”

Chase says this is all thanks to Keith Smart, WECA Arizona Commercial Electrical Apprenticeship Program Manager and Instructor.

“Keith is an awesome instructor, and his experience is shown every day in class through his expounding on the material presented and ensuring everyone has a full understanding of the concepts presented,” says Chase.

Outside of the classroom, Chase’s employer – WECA Arizona Founding Member Contractor Corbins – has provided him with forepersons and journeyperson electricians who have not only led him, but showed him how to lead others. Such leadership gave Chase the opportunity to become a lead for his crew in the past year.

Thanks to his high-quality WECA education and steadfast guidance from his employer, Chase’s plans for the future are rock-solid.

“My goal is to continue refining my leadership skills, apply my credits [earned at WECA, whose apprenticeship programs have been awarded college credit recommendations by the National College Credit Recommendation Service] to an Associates degree, and I hope I get the opportunity to become a foreperson to continue passing on my knowledge,” says Chase.

Congratulations, Chase! We are pleased that WECA and Arizona Founding Member Contractor Corbins built up your leadership skills and paved the way for you to tackle the rest of your career in the commercial electrical industry! We wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.

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Aaron Reali

WECA Arizona Commercial Electrical Apprenticeship Class of 2022 graduate Aaron Reali credits his WECA education with giving him confidence, helping him develop problem-solving skills, and presenting excellent opportunities to lead and learn, and Arizona Commercial Electrical Apprenticeship Program Manager and Instructor Keith Smart with making his time at WECA challenging and rewarding.

“My education and training at WECA were really centered on real-life situations, helped me learn how to problem solve situations at work, gave me the confidence to have conversations with my leads, foremen, and superintendents about the work we’re performing, and I have been given the opportunity [by employer Corbins, a WECA Arizona Founding Member Contractor] to lead teammates. Also, Keith deserves a lot of the credit for the progress a lot of us have made,” says Aaron.

Another benefit of his WECA education, Aaron says, is learning in the classroom alongside his coworkers.

“We can talk about what we learned in class and bounce ideas off each other,” says Aaron. “Keith contributed real work examples and cited personal experiences, which helped a lot of us grasp certain concepts. Hands-on activities in class also helped build confidence in my work.”

Looking back on his WECA experience, Aaron encourages current and future WECA students to ‘take it all in.’

“It goes by so quickly and before you know it, graduation is happening. Really take advantage of the experience and the training. You’ll be surprised what you’re capable of if you just apply yourself. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and volunteer for any opportunity because those can be your door to the next great step in your career,” says Aaron.

When it comes to next steps, Aaron is already carving a definitive pathway for his career in the commercial electrical industry.

“I’ve been given a great opportunity to lead a couple of my teammates in a job we are in right now,” says Aaron. “I’m excited to complete this job and continue to lead in other jobs and soon become a foreman for a couple of years and then transition into a superintendent role. I also plan to work with apprentices and help them out on their path.”