Western Electrical Contractors Association, Inc.

Already Belong? Login

GetWired Instructor Franklin Tilley Finds Fulfillment in Teaching After Retirement

Thursday, September 8, 2022

Retired Electricians: Want to Pass on Your Knowledge and Experience to the Next Generation? Become a GetWired Instructor!


 

Retirement doesn’t mean that electricians can’t stay involved in the industry or continue to share their wealth of knowledge and experience.

In fact, retired electricians can stay involved in the industry in ways like teaching. Take for instance GetWired instructor Franklin Tilley, who has taught at WECA in various capacities since 1988 and continued after his retirement from project management and construction supervision with the state of California in 2012.

Franklin, who began teaching for WECA after taking a class from former WECA instructor Bob Hogan in 1988, also served as the president of IAEI Sacramento Valley for three years, taught NFPA 70 updates to building inspectors for over ten years, and more.

“I have taught every level of apprenticeship classes with WECA, set up and operated the WECA program in Hayward for two years, and am now one of the instructors who teaches the GetWired 101 program online. I look forward to each class, and I hope to keep learning from the students. They teach me so very much with every class, and I now live vicariously through their stories of their companies and personal experiences,” says Franklin.

Franklin – and his wealth of knowledge and experience – are important contributors to WECA’s success and our students’ success.

“The legacy of quality work done safely, and courteous service to the customers of my employer has been my lifelong mantra, and I do my best to instill this same philosophy to all my students,” says Franklin.

In his personal time, Franklin enjoys writing to his seven children and 26 grandchildren, helping families in his church prepare for various emergency scenarios, gardening, cooking and delivering meals for the homeless, and more.

“I am nothing without the support of my wife and family, neighbors, friends, and students, and have been truly blessed to return to the community all that I have been given,” says Franklin.

Franklin, thank you for being part of the WECA family! Your lived knowledge and experience are an asset to us all, and we look forward to many more years of working with you.

Readers: are you a retired electrician (or an electrician thinking of retiring) who would like to give the gift of their knowledge and experience back to the electrical industry and their local community? Consider becoming an instructor for the WECA GetWired program, which consists of online, instructor-led, live-webcast classes on two weekday evenings per week, with one onsite, hands-on lab day per class on a Saturday at a WECA Northern or Southern California training facility. Learn more about and apply to become a WECA GetWired instructor here.