San Jose Local 332, is one of theleading IBEW/NECAapprenticeship train-ing programs in thecountry. The state-of-the-art classroomis equipped with$100,000 of equip-ment to train S&Cworkers.

As the communications technology industrycontinues on a path of rapid growth and fast-paced change, the IBEW is succeeding in itsstrategy to pursue this huge market and meetthe industry’s enormous demand for skilledhigh-tech workers.

International President J. J. Barry and International Secre-tary-Treasurer Edwin D. Hill have spoken many times aboutthe importance of the voice-data-video market, and of theIBEW’s emphasis on organizing this sector and providingstate-of-the-art training for members. Many IBEW localsin the United States and Canada are making greatstrides in this arena. In this article, we highlightjust a few of these successes, with a look at notableachievements by IBEW locals in Northern Califor-nia and St. Louis, Missouri. As previouslyreported in the IBEW Journal, Local 164 (JerseyCity, New Jersey) provides another great exam-ple of tremendous success in teledata organiz-ing and training [See IBEW Journal,“Organizing Wire,” January/February 2000.]

As the communications technology industrycontinues on a path of rapid growth and fast-paced change, the IBEW is succeeding in itsstrategy to pursue this huge market and meetthe industry’s enormous demand for skilledhigh-tech workers.

International President J. J. Barry and International Secre-tary-Treasurer Edwin D. Hill have spoken many times aboutthe importance of the voice-data-video market, and of theIBEW’s emphasis on organizing this sector and providingstate-of-the-art training for members. Many IBEW localsin the United States and Canada are making greatstrides in this arena. In this article, we highlightjust a few of these successes, with a look at notableachievements by IBEW locals in Northern Califor-nia and St. Louis, Missouri. As previouslyreported in the IBEW Journal, Local 164 (JerseyCity, New Jersey) provides another great exam-ple of tremendous success in teledata organiz-ing and training [See IBEW Journal,“Organizing Wire,” January/February 2000.]

6 IBEW JOURNAL, SEPTEMBER 2000

High-Tech TrainingHigh-Tech Training

IBEW JOURNAL, SEPTEMBER 2000 7

A Milestone In St. LouisLocal 1, St. Louis, Missouri, reached a

milestone in 1999 as a major areaprovider of skilled craftsmen in therapidly growing voice-data-video (VDV)field. “IBEW Local 1 journeyman electri-cians and communications technicians,working for union electrical contractors,completed more than 1 million man-hours of VDV work in 1999,” BusinessManager Robert G. Miller reported at the1st Annual Voice-Data-Video Expo held inLas Vegas May 22, 2000. “Our high techwork was performed across all industries,including Internet/telephone, banking,computer, manufacturing, healthcare, tele-marketing, utilities and others.”

Skilled, high-tech IBEW members inSt. Louis have worked on VDV projectsfor such companies as: A.G. Edwards andSons Inc., Allegiance Telecom Inc.,Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc., Bank ofAmerica Corp., BJC Health System, BlackBox Technologies, Bridge InformationSystems Inc., DaimlerChrysler, GeneralMotors Corp., IBM Corp, Level III Com-munications, Lucent Technologies, Mas-terCard Inc, WorldCom Inc., PrimaryNetwork, Qwest Communications Inter-national Inc., Safeco Insurance Co. ofAmerica, Sprint Corp., Williams Commu-nications and others.

“Voice-data-video work… is the fastest-growing category in the electrical field,expanding at about four times the rate oftraditional electrical work,” noted Dou-glas R. Martin, executive vice presidentof the St. Louis Chapter, National Electri-cal Contractors Association (NECA). “Ourcontractors are making substantial invest-ments in people and technology to stayahead of the curve in this fast-changingfield. Our industry is funding expandedtraining to ensure IBEW electricians pos-

Local 1, St. Louis, Missouri, appren-tices Sean Kelson (left) and Ty McCartuse a voltage tester to check fuses inthe control and instrumentation lab at the IBEW Local 1-NECA ElectricalIndustry Training Center. (Continued on next page)

g Keeps IBEW WiredKeeps IBEW Wired

sess the knowledge and hands-on skillsneeded by our customers.”

IBEW Local 1 and signatory contractors,including members of the St. Louis Chapter,NECA, provide training to more than 1,000Local 1 members annually. “Our ongoingfocus on training makes the union electricalindustry the only reliable single source formeeting buyers’ total electrical needs inconstruction, maintenance and service,”Business Manager Miller said.

Under the auspices of its labor-man-agement partnership (the St. Louis Electri-cal Connection), Local 1 and signatorycontractors work cooperatively to sustainthe skilled work force needed to install,service and maintain: voice and data sys-tems; audiovisual networks; electronicsecurity and life safety systems; limitedenergy systems; fiber networks, includingLAN, WAN and premise wiring; building

automation controls; lighting and power;residential wiring; process controls andinstrumentation; wireless communicationssystems; television distribution systems;closed circuit television; and signage,including neon and fiber optic.

Fast Track In CaliforniaThe growth of the Sound and Commu-

nications (or voice-data-video) industry inNorthern California is explosive. This surgeis fueled by the red-hot economy in SiliconValley and the astounding rise of the Inter-net and dot-com companies. With theindustry’s unprecedented expansion, IBEWtelecommunications workers are also on afast track, logging more man-hours andorganizing more members than ever before.

Some 1,600 IBEW Sound and Commu-nications (S&C) members now work inNorthern California, as the hot economyand the quality of union training spursorganizing success. Not too many years

ago, there were only 300 IBEW S&Cworkers in Northern California. The

number of signatory contractors hasalso increased from 74 contractorsin 1994 to 119 today.

WiredWired

Russ Serenka (right), an instructor at the San Jose Local 332 JATC works with a student in the new

state-of-the-art lab.

Instructor Ty McKinney (far left) oversees a practice session with students at the Local 595, Dublin, California, JATC facility.

(Continued from previous page)

8 IBEW JOURNAL, SEPTEMBER 2000

IBEW S&C man-hours in Northern Cal-ifornia have almost doubled in the pastyear alone. Over 3.1 million hours werelogged in 1999, according to the SantaClara Valley NECA. That’s an increase of42 percent from the 2.6 million man-hours logged in 1998.

“The Northern California region is fastsetting the industry standard,” said TerryTanner, business manager of IBEW Local332, San Jose. “If the prosperity in thisregion is any indication, the growth of thenew economy could spur high demandfor S&C workers in other areas of theUnited States.”

Vincent J. Cosentino, S&C regionaltraining director for the IBEW/NECA JointApprenticeship and Training Committee(JATC), has documented the stronggrowth of the industry. “In Northern Cali-fornia alone, the S&C industry hasincreased 900 percent in five years,” saidCosentino. “It grew from $16.5 million in1994 to $150 million in 1999. Cosentinoestimates that the market in Northern Cal-ifornia, at its present rate of growth, willreach $1 billion by the year 2003. He saidapproximately 60 percent of the market is

in voice/data, with the remaining 40 per-cent distributed among audio/video andpresentation systems, security and cardaccess, Internet and e-commerce, fire sys-tems and educational technology systems.

Like the industry itself, the need fortraining has skyrocketed, as workers striveto keep pace with rapidly changing tech-nology. Constant and ongoing training hasbecome the standard in Northern Califor-nia. Over 500 apprentices are nowenrolled in the Northern California JATCthree-year telecommunications curriculum,hosted in six locations throughout theregion. Currently 30 cents per man-hour isdistributed to the local JATCs for trainingthe work force. In 1999 the IBEW and sig-natory contractors spent $805,000 for train-ing in the region.

“As the telecommunications market-place continues to heat up, the JATC andthe IBEW are where the best workers willbe,” said Aaron Colton, president ofCeitronics, Inc., a signatory contractor inSan Jose. “Only a well-trained work forcecan keep up with the growth and thecomplexity now taking place around us.Many contractors tell me that other

regions in the country duplicate whatoccurs in Northern California.”

Apprentices complete 150 hours ofclassroom training at the JATC each year.Entry level applicants must pass an examin one of five areas, including proaudio/video, data phone, asset protection(fire, burglar alarms), CCTV and security,and basic knowledge.

To keep up with technology, a newstate-of-the-art JATC in San Jose includes aclassroom specially outfitted with $100,000of equipment to train S&C workers for cer-tification. The new classroom/lab, whichopened in October 1999, is the brainchildof trustees who decided in 1998 to offer itas a training track.

The San Jose JATC is one of a handfulof locations on the West Coast whereSound and Communications workers canlearn on a variety of manufacturers’ equip-ment. There, S&C workers practice ontelecom racks, patch panels and commu-nications closets built especially for thelab. Three other IBEW locals in NorthernCalifornia will soon install such class-room/labs—Local 6, San Francisco; Local595, Dublin; and Local 340, Sacramento.

“The classroom has training compo-nents that feature mock areas to simulatereal-world situations,” said Frank Garcia,S&C coordinator at the Local 332 San JoseJATC. “It mimics the on-site job environ-ment.” In the 31 years Garcia has been inthe industry, the number of workers inthe field has increased substantially. “Ican testify to the growth firsthand, since Iwas the first S&C instructor to be hired atthe San Jose center in 1992,” the 13-yearIBEW member said. “We now have eightinstructors—that’s how large it’s grown.We’ve been on the cutting edge, and thegrowth is tremendous. We’ve definitelystepped ahead, even in our ability to trainapprentices.”

“We need to invest our dollars to com-pete and deliver. Workers who receivegood training in the basics maximize man-agement’s ability to deliver. And that’swhat we’re doing in Northern California,”says Ceitronics’ Colton. 1

[Editors Note: The Journal invites otherIBEW local unions to tell us their stories ofefforts in this arena so we can share theinformation with readers.]

IBEW JOURNAL, SEPTEMBER 2000 9