Voices of Salute: James R. Appleby, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 453 trains people in the electrical industry. The National Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee keeps training innovative, and it covers topics such as green energy projects, wind generation, photovoltaic, hydroelectric, and electric vehicle charging. The organization maintains and provides updated training for industry changes for issues such as codes and safety.

Industry role
To make available to the local electrical contractors the highest trained, dedicated,\ and professional electricians in the area.

Challenges
The economy is the biggest challenge to almost everything these days. Since money is tight, projects are fewer. This is causing more intense bidding, which sometimes leads to projects being installed with less quality and integrity. Cheapest is not always the way to get the best value.

2011 accomplishments
We graduated eight apprentices to journeymen inside wiremen after five years of on the job and classroom training.

2012 outlook
We are hopeful that current increases in private sector employment will lead to growth in the construction industry.

Click here for the full Salute to Construction section of the Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2011, issue.[[In-content Ad]]