International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 26, in partnership with the Community Hub for Opportunities in Construction Employment (C.H.O.I.C.E.) and North America’s Building Trades Unions, held  an “Open House” roundtable featuring U.S. Secretary of Labor Tom Perez at the Local 26 Joint Apprenticeship Training Center (JATC).
The event was conducted as part of the first annual National Apprenticeship Week as proclaimed by President Obama.
The event featured a presentation about the Building Trades’ national apprenticeship training and education infrastructure; the specific and innovative training curriculum at Local 26’s training center; a special roundtable discussion involving Secretary Perez, current apprentices, and training directors from other building trades unions; as well as an actual tour of the Local 26 JATC facility.
Local 26 was first chartered in 1892. Today, its JATC covers over 30,000 square feet. The classrooms are comprised of the latest technology available for the training of new apprentices, as well as continuing education and training for Local 26 journeymen. Local 26 also has an 18,000 square foot training facility in Manassas, Virginia, and it has expanded into Southern Maryland where the union enjoys a partnership with North Point High School.
“Our apprenticeship programs are the backbone of the unionized construction industry,” said Chuck Graham, Business Manager for Local 26. “For over 100 years, the IBEW and all the building trades unions have not only provided the safest, most highly skilled and productive skilled craft professionals in the world, but we have provided career training opportunities for historically neglected communities that literally transform lives. I highly encourage those in our business community, as well as our local public officials, to attend this event and learn how these types of training programs can address a wide array of problems and challenges.”
Collectively, North America’s Building Trades’ Unions and their signatory contractors invest over $1 billion annually in apprentice and journey-level training. When wages and benefits paid to apprentices are included, this investment soars to over $11 billion per year. Overall, the 15 Building Trades unions maintain and operate over 1,600 training centers across the United States. Nearly two-thirds of all registered apprentices in the US are trained in the construction industry. Among construction apprentices, 74 percent are trained in the unionized construction sector.
ABOUT IBEW LOCAL 26
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union 26 has the best electricians in greater Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia region.
Local Union 26 has state-of-the-art training facilities with instructors who are second to none. The work of our unionized construction electricians speaks for itself. Our apprenticeship training and residential upgrade programs are top-notch, and no one can compete with the level of skilled craftsmanship that our journeymen electricians bring to the jobsite. With over 7,500 members, we have one of the largest locals in the country. Local 26 has over 200 signatory contractors which helps us be the leader in the electrical industry in our vast jurisdiction that encompasses the District of Columbia, five counties in Maryland and 44 counties in Virginia. Our DC-area electricians have been part of the most exciting projects in the area — from the White House, to the World War II Memorial, to the most recent Nationals Stadium and National Harbor. We will continue to build and maintain projects large and small.
IBEW Local Union 26 has implemented the Code of Excellence to ensure our customers and contractors that our electricians are the men and women for the job. We set an excellence standard for work being performed. Local 26 promotes the highest quality and quantity of work. Our members have the best skills and the best work practices of all. This is what separates us from the rest of the industry.
ABOUT C.H.O.I.C.E.
C.H.O.I.C.E, the Community Hub for Opportunities in Construction Employment, is an office of North America’s Building Trades Unions that is working with the 28 local unions in the greater Baltimore/Washington, DC/Northern Virginia region that represent thousands of skilled craft professionals in the building and construction industry. Its mission is to work with industry, government and community leaders to raise industry standards and provide opportunity. By encouraging public and private investments in the construction industry that will provide continued and increased access to career training and employment, C.H.O.I.C.E will promote opportunities through partnerships in pre-apprenticeship and jointly managed apprenticeship programs throughout the greater Baltimore/Washington, DC/Northern Virginia region while providing value to the industry and strengthening the communities in which we live and work.
ABOUT NORTH AMERICA’S BUILDING TRADES UNIONS
North America’s Building Trades Unions are an alliance of 14 national and international unions that collectively represent over 3 million skilled craft professionals in the United States and Canada. Each year, our unions and our signatory contractor partners invest over $1 billion in private sector money to fund and operate over 1,900 apprenticeship training and education facilities across North America that produce the safest, most highly trained and productive skilled craft workers found anywhere in the world.