The Joint Apprenticeship Training Program (JATC) celebrated the graduation of 175 apprentices to journeyman electricians and residential wireman to inside wireman status on June 4, 2016 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 175 graduates, 137 students graduated from the JATC’s five-year Inside Wireman apprenticeship program. Graduates from this program completed over 800 hours of classroom instruction and 8,000 hours of supervised on-the-job training. In addition, five students graduated from the three-year Telecommunications program and became technicians. And lastly, 22 Residential Wireman completed the Residential Upgrade program and were upgraded to Inside Electrical Journeyman.
“This year is the JATC’s 70^th graduation and we’re proud to have such a strong class mark the occasion with us,” said Kevin Burton, Training Director, JATC. “These people  worked incredibly hard both in the classroom and on the jobsite to learn the skills required to support today’s technologically advanced buildings.”
This year’s Inside Wireman valedictorian was Adam Harrison who received a 96.58% academic average and perfect attendance over five years.
He shared this story during the ceremony, “At the end of 2008 after the economy crashed I was a high school drop-out and a residential carpenter who was out of work. I had no benefits, no retirement, and no future. In the spring of 2009, a good friend of mine got me a job in the Local 26 as an R (residential) worker. I completed two years of R school and then got accepted into the Apprenticeship Program at the age of 32. I saw this opportunity as a “last chance” to be able to do something with my life. So, I applied myself, worked hard, and successfully completed the program. And now, like you, I am enjoying an exciting and rewarding career as a Journeyman Electrician.”
Harrison and his fellow graduates will expect to earn approximately $84,800 a year plus benefits with no student loans to pay off as Journeyman Electricians. Their expertise is in demand on projects across the Washington, DC region and they have the opportunity to 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.
About The Electrical Alliance
The Electrical Alliance is a cooperative effort between electrical contractors and skilled craftsmen to provide quality products and services to customers and to set the standard for efficiency and productivity within the electrical industry. It is jointly sponsored by the National Electrical Contractors Association and Local 26, IBEW. To learn more, visit https://news.getchargedup.org or follow the Electrical Alliance on Twitter @dcelec_alliance.