It's no secret that the United States continues to face a skilled labor shortage. In 2023, EC&M covered this important topic in our e-book, "Combatting the Skilled Worker Shortage." If you haven't already, I encourage you to give it a read. Although the labor shortage has been one of the greatest challenges facing the electrical industry for decades, there is still a bright future ahead.
Here at EC&M, we like to highlight the next generation of electrical professionals through our "30 Under 30" honor, and we strive to create content to prepare future skilled workers for success. Since 2021, Harold De Loach, master electrician, electrical trainer/instructor, and founder/director of The Academy of Industrial Arts L.L.C., has contributed training articles to EC&M for both print and our E-Train e-newsletter. These pieces have proven to be extremely popular with EC&M readers and cover a wide range of topics aimed at apprentices. This e-book series, which will be released in installments throughout the course of 2024, offers a collection of De Loach's most engaging articles that are aimed at preparing the next generation of skilled workers.
To kick things off, the first article is called "Tips for Passing an Electrical License Exam." In this piece, De Loach offers some tips for passing the electrical license exam that have produced consistently positive results with his students. This is a mustread for anyone preparing to take an electrical exam.
The next two articles, "Etiquette for Electrical Apprentices" and "How to Become the Best Electrician You Can Be," offer some great advice for anyone new to the field. These inside tips from the field on what electrical employers expect from new apprentices are important to know in order to be successful. In addition to professional etiquette, it's important for apprentices to know the basics as well. That's why the fourth article, "Everyday Instructions for Electricians," covers Art. 110 requirements of the National Electrical Code (NEC) in detail.
To close out the e-book, De Loach shares eight ways to increase your chances of success as an apprentice in "The Apprentice's Guide to Success in the Electrical Construction Industry" followed by "No One Is Coming to Save Us," in which De Loach discusses how important it is to prepare the next generation for success.
Preparing the next generation is the only way to make sure the electrical industry will continue to thrive for years to come. If you're someone new to the industry, I hope this e-book is a valuable resource to you. And if you're an industry veteran, I know it will serve as a refresher on the importance of mentoring. I encourage you to share it with anyone considering a career in the electrical industry.
