By Brad Vogelgesang
IVCC is now offering an electrician’s degree that will train students for jobs with residential and commercial contractors.
The degree is the result of a unique partnership with a labor union, contractor’s association and three other community colleges.
The partnership includes the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 176, the Eastern Illinois Chapter National Electrical Contractors Association, Joliet Junior College, Kankakee Community College and Black Hawk College.
"We are proud to be a part of this landmark agreement," said Bill Koehler, president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 176 and chairman of the Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee Center in Joliet. "We are the first in the nation to offer our wiremen apprentices an Associate in Applied Science Degree."
Students can earn the degree by completing 15 hours of general education courses at IVCC, or one of the other three community colleges, and completing the technical training through the JATC.
"With the general education classes, Journeyman Wiremen will be better prepared to acknowledge, read, understand and adapt to the fast-changing technology in our industry," said Lou Piskur, JATC Training Director.
Piskur said the program requires five years of classroom and on-the-job training with 900 hours in the classroom and 10,000 hours on-the-job.
During the apprenticeship, the student is paid a minimum of $10.38 an hour and can make as much as $24.76 an hour after the student has put enough time into the program.
Koehler said the program is selective. Only 10 to 15 percent of the applicants are accepted.
10/29/98 the Apache