While the IBEW is a labor union that negotiates wages and benefits for its members and establishes working conditions, this is only part of its mission. At the heart of what the IBEW and its partner organization, NECA, are all about, is education and training for apprentices and journeymen. These basic and ongoing programs are important to insuring that newcomers to the profession as well as experienced electrical workers have access to the latest tools and are thoroughly knowledgeable when it comes to the latest technologies.

This commitment to cutting-edge training is a large part of why the project managers and employers invariably turn to the NECA-IBEW team. It is why corporate executives like Jill Eiland at Intel are saying that her colleagues are “consistently providing high marks to the IBEW folks.” It is also why contractors like Mark Weinbender of Oregon Electric can say with confidence that the IBEW electricians he works with are “top-notch.”

That also benefits those of us who rely on these electrical systems for lighting, data storage and transfer, climate control, the operation of machinery and more. Since the advent of electrical lighting in the latter part of the 19^th Century, we as a society have become increasingly dependent of this form of energy. Furthermore, as both demand and dependence increases, so too does the complexity of electrical systems. Unless these systems are built and installed properly and to exacting standards, they can not only be less than useful, they can be downright dangerous. The professional standards instilled by NECA-IBEW training and education make certain that when one of us flips a switch or presses a button, that system or piece of equipment is going to operate properly – and above all, safely.

There is yet another benefit of NECA-IBEW training programs, and that is the opportunities they provide to those who might not otherwise have access to them. Specifically, the Seattle area Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC, the national training and educational program operated by NECA-IBEW) has been reaching out to veterans of the U.S. military returning from overseas duty, offering accelerated job training through the Veterans In Construction Electrical (VICE) program. The VICE program has been set up in such a way as to get qualified vets on the job and earning a paycheck within three months.

It is worth noting that the IBEW has never gone on strike and has one of the most successful track records of maintaining mutually beneficial and satisfactory relationships between labor and management of any labor union. This is largely due to IBEW’s commitment to education and training programs that provide the means for electrical workers to establish an excellent work ethic and expertise from the outset, and to continually update and hone their skills – giving employers (in the words of one IBEW journeyman) the “biggest bang for their buck.”