Loading...Colorado State University Pre-Construction Center
The NECA-IBEW team is always ahead of the curve in the education department – our JATC model is the best of the best.
But, not everyone goes through our apprenticeship program. In fact, most on the management side of the construction coin, attend college as the way to get into the industry.
Reaching out to these men and women – before they graduate – educating them about what NECA and the IBEW stand for, who we are and what we do – is critical to the recruitment of tomorrow’s leaders, today.
In with the story – is ETV’s Dominic Giarratano.
Tom, as you well know education and training are important parts of an NECA contractor’s toolbox, and a key factor in our industry. It’s our guarantee to the owner that a job will be done better by us, than by anyone else.
And that commitment is now on display at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colorado.
A few NECA contractors in Colorado have recently backed up that belief, with dollars at the preconstruction center at Colorado State University. It’s helping NECA make sure that the best and the brightest around come into our ranks after graduation.
That’s why it’s important for our organizations to take part in work like this – to let students know that a NECA-IBEW career path and college don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
The building was originally constructed in 1883 and was in desperate need of repairs and upgrades – that’s where NECA contractors Dynalectric, Sturgeon Electric, Intermountain Electric, and the electricians of IBEW Local 68 in Denver came in.
The team met – and surpassed a set of challenges that gave them a chance to show off their skills to a new generation of potential electricians and managers.
Scott Schlosser, general foreman, Dynalectric
“We rerouted all new conduit for the job, installed a lot of interesting light fixtures. A lot of new data equipment in for touch screen systems for the building.”
Aaron Thompson, foreman, Dynalectric
“The building was built so long ago, that it was built before electricity really existed. So trying to fit in electrical equipment and stuff in a building that wasn’t really designed for it, that was one of the big challenges.”
Anna Fontana, coordinator, Phelps Placement Office
“It’s one of the original buildings on campus. It’s a gorgeous building. They’ve done a great job preserving a lot of the original features of it while making it a state of the art facility for our students.”
Everything built was state of the art – from lighting controls, control panels, low voltage wiring and fire alarm – this building truly showcases the wide variety of what NECA contractors and their electricians can do.
Among the installations was a demo wall. The wall has been well received by students.
Aaron Thompson, foreman, Dynalectric
“Most people don’t realize the magnitude of what we do, most people think of it as light switches and outlets, so inside that wall we had everything from high voltage panel clear down to fire alarms and rigid panel and everything else so they were pretty surprised that there were that many different variations of what we do. They were ooh-ing and aaah-ing over our little demo wall there, it was nice.”
For contractors along with local business owners, the construction of the center provided a chance to stay in front of the best and the brightest.
Craig Clark, CEO, Dynalectric
“I saw a real opportunity, specifically for union contractors, to be able to get involved with a project like this so that we can get to the students and express to them the importance of organized labor and the effect on the business community. NECA has a great method of coming in here and meeting with the students, lecturing the students, and explaining to the not only what we do as electrical contractors, but also the impact of organized labor on the construction industry.”
Ralph Lupen, Consultant, Education and Training, Organized Electrical Industry
“It puts in perspective for the students, for the graduates from the school, the value of good craftsmen, the contribution of organized labor and our contractors can make, the quality of the education that the IBEW provides to their electricians and apprentices. This is something that I think that students in schools such as this need to be aware of. So that’s a very positive thing for our industry, both NECA and the IBEW.”
Anna Fontana, coordinator, Phelps Placement Office
“The new facility is definitely going to increase the prestige of the department. We also recently installed a cap on our program because it is so large, and we had 1100 students.”
To those who live here, it means a renewed commitment to quality work in a quality field.
Aaron Thompson, foreman, Dynalectric
“I live up in this area and for the most part, people aren’t really aware of the IBEW and NECA up in this part of the state. It makes me feel really good that we got our name stamped all over that building, especially for the young people that are coming through the college there.”
Scott Schlosser, general foreman, Dynalectric
“I think it’s important for the younger generation that’s going through college like that to see how things are put together. It’s one thing to learn all the book side of it through college, but the other side to see the field experience of it needs to be seeing how things are going to be installed. You learn more knowledge that way, by learning how to do things correctly.”
We know that there’s a lot of competition in the electrical construction market – so it’s important that we stay in front of potential apprentices and journeymen.
The work we did at Colorado State will go far in achieving that goal.
And not to mention, help us stay on top with the next generation of electricians and contractors.