Ronny Gillespie: Teaching the Next Generation of Electricians
With a passion for problem-solving and a heart for teaching, project manager Ronny Gillespie is living in his “sweet spot.” By day, Gillespie manages construction projects for Walker & Whiteside, a leading design-build electrical contractor in Greenville, S.C. After hours, he “pays it forward” as an instructor for the rigorous, four-year Upstate South Carolina Electrical…
Upstate S.C. Electrical Apprenticeship Program Celebrates Four Newly Registered Electricians
Four newly registered electricians were lauded by their employer, course instructors and industry peers at a private graduation ceremony in Greenville, S.C., on Friday, September 6, 2019. The celebration recognized the group’s successful completion of a rigorous four-year, electrical apprenticeship program registered with the S.C. Department of Labor. The Upstate Electrical Apprenticeship Program is a partnership among…
ABC Carolinas Chapter Recognizes Class of 2019 Apprenticeship & Craft Training Graduates
Charlotte, NC — Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Carolinas Chapter celebrated the graduating Class of 2019 for the Chapter’s Apprenticeship & Craft Training Program by hosting the ceremony at the Charlotte Knights baseball game on Thursday, June 6, 2019. Included in the festivities was a Keynote Address by Kathryn Castelloes, ApprenticeshipNC Director, and the pre-game…
CarolinaPower Apprentices Place in Charleston Electrical Contractors Association (CECA) Competition
CarolinaPower’s Richie Seely and Branden Panausuia placed in the 2019 Apprenticeship Skills Competition hosted this spring by Charleston’s Trident Technical College. Seely took second place in the First-Year Apprentices division while Punausuia came in third among Second-Year Apprentices. The 2019 Apprenticeship Skills competition was part of the annual Electricians Fair and Career Day jointly sponsored…
Graduates of Upstate S.C. Electrical Apprenticeship Program Honored at December Ceremony
Four newly registered electricians in Upstate South Carolina were lauded by their respective employers, course instructors and others at a private graduation ceremony last month. The celebration recognized the group’s successful completion of a rigorous four-year, S.C. Department of Labor registered electrical apprenticeship program. Registered apprenticeships are employer-sponsored training programs that produce highly skilled…
Watson Electrical Construction Announces Winners of 2018 Apprentice Contest
The 24th annual Watson Electrical Construction Company’s Apprentice Contest for 2018 was a great success with 17 apprentices competing for cash and prizes. This year’s winners were: First Place, Wesley Sartain (Raleigh, N.C.); Second Place, Tim Amerson (Wilson/Rocky Mount, N.C.); Third Place, James Delauney (Virginia Beach, Va.); Fourth Place, Jon McMillian (Wilmington, N.C.); Fifth Place, Joseph…
Celebrating the 2018 ABC Carolinas Electrical Apprenticeship Graduating Class
The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Carolinas Chapter celebrated its Electrical Apprenticeship graduating class of 2018 in June at Charlotte’s BB&T Ballpark, home of the Charlotte Knights baseball team. ABC Carolinas Chapter chose this venue to raise community awareness about the apprenticeship program and the career opportunities available in the construction industry. Cheered on by…
Apprenticeships Must Be Expanded to Meet 21st Century Workforce Needs
According to the final report of the Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion, apprenticeship programs offer workers a career path with paid, on-the-job training and provide employers with highly trained workers, but they are insufficient to address the growing skills gap in many industries. Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) commended the secretaries of labor, education and…
The Home Depot Foundation Commits $50 Million to Skilled Trades Training
Today, The Home Depot® Foundation announced a $50 million commitment to train 20,000 tradespeople over the next 10 years in order to fill the growing skilled labor gap. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are currently 158,000 unfilled construction sector jobs in the U.S. – a number that is expected to increase significantly…
President Trump’s Apprenticeship Expansion Helps All Americans Build America
Associated Builders and Contractors applauded President Donald J. Trump on today’s executive action on apprenticeships, which is an important step toward building new career opportunities for all Americans. If fully implemented, the order will allow industries to build innovative workforce development systems that address glaring skills gaps in our workforce. With the construction industry currently…
