The Western Electrical Contractors Association (WECA) announces the expansion of its registered, electrical apprenticeship training program into Utah, having obtained approval to be a Division of Professional Licensing Recognized Electrical Apprenticeship for Utah in October 2022.
In partnership with founding Utah member-contractor Hunt Electric, a full-service electrical, technology and infrastructure contractor, WECA is bringing its programs to meet workforce development needs in Utah. Membership and usage of its apprenticeship training program is open to all licensed electrical contractors in the state and WECA looks forward to serving the contractor community.
“Too few people looking to start a career today are familiar with the benefits of working as an electrician,” said Cody Eaton, operations manager of Hunt Electric. “Encouraging new applicants to pursue this lucrative and rewarding career that doesn’t require taking on student loan debt to get started can give them a promising future. It also benefits the industry by replacing an aging workforce with new talent.”
WECA’s newest training facility, located in Woods Cross, is intended to serve apprentices in the greater Salt Lake City region as well as the entire state. WECA will register its first Utah commercial electrical apprenticeship class in early 2023.
“We’re grateful for the welcome we’ve received and look forward to contributing to and being part of training the future electrical workforce in Utah,” said WECA Operations Director Christine Hall. “It was also great to get the opportunity to attend the Apprenticeship Utah Summit and Apprenticeship Job Fair this past November 2022.”
Registered Apprenticeship is a system of learning in the classroom and receiving on-the-job training while earning wages. WECA’s apprentices attend classes in an accelerated and intensive format consisting of full-time classroom and lab instruction for two consecutive weeks every six to seven months. Each two-week session is equal to one semester.
Its daytime program is unique, and participants — apprentices and their sponsoring employers alike — appreciate the opportunity for apprentices to focus on their classroom and onsite lab education for these short, productive, and intense periods, rather than attending school in the evenings in a tiring and drawn-out fashion.
WECA’s apprenticeship programs have undergone rigorous evaluation and subsequently received college credit equivalency recommendations from the National College Credit Recommendation Service.
