Jill Schramm/MDN
Barry Dutton, left, with the U.S. Department of Labor is joined by Bob Wolf, center, with IBEW and Peter Carlson, right, with Milwaukee Tools, as he speaks to students in an electrical construction course at Minot High School Wednesday about the opportunities for apprenticeships.

The first semester of a new electrical construction class at Minot High School is nearing an end, and its community partners are anxious to see the course continue.

On Wednesday, members of IBEW, the electrical workers union, and contractors with the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) stopped by Magic City Campus with the state director for the Office of Apprenticeship in the U.S. Department of Labor to meet with students.

“An apprenticeship now basically is a guaranteed job,” Barry Dutton with the Labor Department, Bismarck, told the classroom of 21 students. “Right now I currently have 100 programs. I have everything from linemen to electricians, construction craft laborers, some really high tech positions and healthcare – all sorts of things. Almost every occupation is apprenticeable.”

In the electrical field, 8,000 hours of on the job training is required, with 576 hours of book work.

“You’ve already got some of the book work done,” he said to students. “You’re going to step into a position as an electrician, or wherever you want to be. Whatever trade, you’re going to have a leg up.”

IBEW and National Electrical Contractors Association are providing the funding that enables Minot High School to offer the electrical construction course. Bob Wolf with IBEW said the cost is minor compared to the benefit of getting students interested in the trades.

Course instructor Nick Ziegler said 10-12 students in the class have shown a serious interest in becoming electricians. The course also gives curious students a chance to discover whether the career might be for them.

Boyd Rakness and Lance Johnson with Main & Holmes Electric in Minot have been among industry representatives who have been visiting the classroom periodically and promoting internships in the community.

Johnson said completion of the high school course gives students not only the high school credit but allows automatic entry into the electrical apprenticeship program. The apprenticeship program enables students to earn while they learn and come out with good-paying, guaranteed jobs and no college debt, he said.

“It’s got a lot of opportunities for these kids. It’s going to be great because we need people,” he added.

Milwaukee Tools provided gloves, safety glasses, ear protection and hard hats for the classroom. Company representative Peter Carlson of Bemidji, Minnesota, who visited the classroom Wednesday, said the goal is to encourage training programs like the one at Minot High because more workers are needed in the trades.

The North Dakota Workforce Development Council has invested into apprenticeships and wants to continue to invest in that area, Dutton said. The important piece is that youth have true opportunities for substantial learning from these experiences and aren’t just pushing brooms, he said, because excitement for the trade lies in engagement with the trade.