Working to dispel the belief in the electrical trades that young apprentices aren’t getting the quality of education afforded to earlier generations, Timothy Munn, an apprentice with AMF Electric, St. Louis, recently beat out a promising field of young electrical workers to win the Independent Electrical Contractors National Wire-Off Competition at the 45th Annual Convention and Electric Expo 2002.
The contest, which began for Munn with a regional event in St. Louis, consisted of a 10-min. oral interview, a 75-question written exam, and a practical skills test, which included reading customer design requirements, installing materials on a backboard, and making sure the final product worked.
Munn’s employers weren’t surprised by his success. “By the end of his first year as an apprentice, I felt strongly that Tim was up to the caliber of a fourth-year student,” says Lou Schreier, AMF Electric vice president.