The Joint Apprenticeship and Training Program (JATC) celebrated the graduation of 110 apprentices and residential wireman on June 6, 2015 at Martin’s Crosswinds in Greenbelt, Md. The graduates, both men and women, completed a rigorous electrical training program to become journeyman electricians.
Of the 110 graduates, 88 students graduated from the JATC’s five-year inside wireman apprenticeship program. Graduates from this program completed more than 800 hours of classroom instruction and 8,000 hours of supervised on-the-job training. In addition, two students graduated from the three-year telecommunications program and became technicians. And lastly, 20 residential wireman completed the residential program and were upgraded to inside electrical journeyman.
“We are so excited to welcome another class of exceptional journeyman to the JATC family,” said Sean Myers, assistant director, JATC. “Graduating from this program is not an easy task and I’m extremely proud for this class to be beginning their careers in the electrical industry.”
This year’s inside wireman valedictorian was Evan J. Bender who received the highest marks in his class. The salutatorians this year were Christopher S. Blau (inside wireman), Steven J. Stanford (telecommunications) and Horacio Orta (R-A upgrade).
Bender and his fellow graduates will earn $84,800 a year plus benefits and will have no student loans to pay off as journeyman electricians. Their expertise is in demand on projects across the Washington, D.C. region and they have the ability to grow in their careers and move into other areas such as JATC instruction, project management, or owning their own business.
The JATC is sponsored by the Electrical Alliance, a cooperative effort between the Washington, D.C. Chapter of National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Local 26.
