On February 26, the Independent Electrical Contractors Rocky Mountain (IECRM) became the first state-approved electrician training school in Colorado. The distinction was unanimously granted by the Colorado Department of Higher Education Division of Private Occupational Schools Board after months of examination and deliberation.
As a result of the state's approval, IECRM students may now apply the GI Bill to apprentice training and continuing education tuition. Additionally, the State of Colorado will now recommend IECRM as an approved electrical training institution, and will include IECRM on its list of state-approved colleges that is distributed to Colorado high schools.
“This is the first step to the larger goal of having our students receive their electrical training in concert with an Associate’s Degree,” explained IECRM Director of Education, Jeff Macht. “The state approval is the culmination of many months of examination of our four-year apprentice taining program and 26 continuing education courses. Our entire team pitched in and worked together to make the approval happen.”
The road to state approval was lengthy and rigorous. IECRM and its instructors spent several months completing paperwork, creating a course catalog, and meeting several times with state representatives. The school’s academic records and facilities were examined thoroughly.
“This chapter has led the way in creating an electrical education program that is attractive to the next generation of professionals, which is critical to our industry,” said IEC National EVP/CEO Thayer Long. “IEC Rocky Mountain’s innovation in educating the electrical contracting community is something we are all proud of.”
