Community Electric Cooperative’s Post

Super proud of my brother, Thomas Hawkins, featured in this promo for the 2023 International Lineman Rodeo. Tom's one of the hard-working journeymen at Liberty who have the vital task to build and maintain the electrical utilities that keep our lights on and our factories spinning. The 2023 ILR was held in Banner Springs, Kansas. Over 1300 line workers competed in this year's event, including 18 journeymen and 6 apprentices from Liberty's crews across the country. Competition events include rescue scenarios and job tasks like crossarm changeouts, guy wire installations, and arrestor replacements. Smooth is the key, as haphazard and unsafe actions deduct from the score. The practice these men and women get in preparation for competition has positive impacts on their real world efficiency and gives a boost to team morale. As the energy transition speeds up a skilled workforce to support our transmission and power generation infrastructure are high demand. We're going to need a lot more folks like Tom and his team. Events like the ILR help bring in new talent and keep skills sharp. https://lnkd.in/dmpUpB2T

Do you know a young person who is thinking about starting their career as an apprentice? Are you curious about what the experience is like as a job seeker or the value to the employer? Hear first hand from local apprentice Wyatt and his sponsor Wolfe Heavy Equipment about why they have chosen to Invest In Middlesex and the future generation through apprenticeship.

Building Blocks of the Future Watching TACT grads step into careers of their choice is an amazing experience. We are an outlier in how we approach so many things in building futures for our neurodiverse community. We're trying to pull the community together and break down the barriers of the existing siloes that segment and separate education, training, and employment. We start with exposure, discovery, and creation. This part is so much fun. Watching the light bulbs click when a client discovers something is almost tangible. Passion leads to training. This part is important because the training must reflect the actual job and be authentic, and it takes everyone a different amount of time, and that's ok! There is zero reason to put a time frame to consider someone "ready." The days of training in a square room with rows of desks, watching the teacher while students rotely regurgitate what they are told, should be over. Training should be client-focused, not teacher-focused. And TACT, we put our clients first. Then, there is job readiness and placement. Finding employers who believe in our community and fit all the pieces togetehr—strengths-based, room for advancement, support enablers, diversity of communication and thought, etc. So many others miss pieces like transportation. Finally, TACT supports the graduate in their job, in person. Having that employment specialist right by your side supports your equality of opportunity. That's not the same thing as doing the job for the graduate, but empowering them to thrive in the position of their choice. We do this and so much more at —TACT - Teaching the Autism Community Trades, and I am so grateful for the incredible partners who make that possible. Check out this grad welding below. They're remarkable and literally building a future.

Companies in #GeneseeCountyNY access high capacity, effective #workforcetraining that connects talent in our connected metros. The #STAMPmegasite adds another opportunity with hundreds of announced #semiconductorindustry and #renewableenergy careers coming to reward motivated students. #Workforcedsvelopment and #economicdevelopment are making a difference!

Number of college dropouts hits 40M By Cate Chapman, Editor at LinkedIn News Even as college enrollments stabilize, the dropout rate is rising. The number of students withdrawing from postsecondary education — without a credential — rose 3.4% this year, to a total of more than 40 million, according to the National Student Clearinghouse. At the same time, the proportion of those enrolled who are seriously considering dropping out stands at almost a quarter, Sallie Mae reports. The lender said the leading reason for growing ambivalence toward college education is cost, followed by loss of motivation, life changes and mental health concerns. #innovation #management #technology #projectmanagement #construction #leadership #hiring #engineering

Meet Igor Vincic! “Everything I knew about myself, my abilities, and what I can offer was wrong,” Igor reflects. “Constructing Hope made a big difference in my self-esteem and level of confidence.” Igor graduated from Constructing Hope as part of the Winter 2022 cohort and is now third-year low-voltage electrician apprentice. His journey is one of resilience and triumph. #storyofhope #levelingtheplayingfield #constructinghope Did you know: April is Second Chance Month! 63% of Constructing Hope participants come from the criminal justice system. At Constructing Hope, we’re proud of the impact our mission has on individuals like Igor. #secondchancemonth

Stop by campus tomorrow from 9 - 2 pm to learn more about the Bobcat Resource Center for students!

Assemblies and campus-wide events can be overstimulating and overwhelming for autistic students. Consider these alternatives: - Host smaller, quieter meetings throughout the day instead of one large one - Offer alternatives, like live streaming of the live event - Reduce your students’ uncertainty by explaining the event prior to attending - Provide assistive technology, like noise-canceling headphones, to reduce sensory overload. While many students enjoy pep rallies and other school-wide events, it’s important for administrators to make accommodations to ensure that all students feel comfortable and included.

Meet O, a Brick Mason apprentice. I'd bet money that in 2-4 years, he'll be running work. This isn't because he came with that intention; it's because we see his potential. What gives him potential? ✅Work ethic ✅Eagerness to learn ✅Ability to show up physically, mentally and emotionally ✅A "Yes, ma'am" or "Yes, sir" attitude ✅Anticipates the need! ✅Gratitude In 2022, while manning a job, O’s brother texted me, "Do you have room for my brother? He's green, so I can’t get anyone to bring him on. I’ll run him down to the local and sign him up if you put him on." Let's go! O showed up and excelled, knowing nothing about the industry but everything about being of service and being part of a team. Since that job, I've meticulously placed O shotgun with the best guys I have: the veterans, the A-teams. I took O to every observation I did and spent money to have him at every observation the superintendent did, so he would know what I'm looking for, and what they're looking at and listening to. I have sent O to other divisions when they were on a run, so he could gain frontline experience with what I suggest is the best team in the country... and they're Canadian. Sending him there meant I had to wade through the pulp in that White Water Chest solo. #sacrafice We have an experience shortage in this industry. We can find bodies, but experience and leadership is what we need. I am tired of listening to and discussing shortages. We as contractors, schools and unions must take responsibility for this and start planting seeds for the future. When you get a guy who's green, or dispatched from the hall on day one of your outage, you know by day 2 his vibe, and by the end of the job, you know whether they have potential. Yes, they are few and far between, but they're out there, and you have worked with them. Then what? Do you bring them back for the next outage and mix your greatest potential with the guy who hides in the porta-potty, gripes about everything, and sneaks his phone at every chance, all because he's the low man on the totem pole, the apprentice? No. This paradigm is outdated. You may come across the O’s of the world once or twice a year, maybe even every couple of years if you wait for them to walk into your job trailer. However, being loud and proud about the possibilities of these trade industries, sharing our knowledge and skills, and openly welcoming potential candidates of all ages with clear visuals of what's possible if they are all in could turn this whole thing around in a short amount of time. The new paradigm shows our teams what's possible for those who want it and retains the best with the intention of training those who will be better. We should want this for those coming up behind us. We should want to give them the opportunities some of us fought for. Here’s to all the potential out there, and our individual responsibility to find them, train them, and lead them into their own generation of leadership and growth.

Placing More Texans in Higher Paying Jobs In this session we will discuss Texas State Technical College and dive into why we strive to help Place More Texans in Higher Paying Jobs. This will be an in-depth conversation relating to recruiting and hiring Texas talent within the Automotive, Diesel, and Automotive Collision fields. We will discuss changes to recruiting methods and how to best relate to today’s technical students. In addition, we will cover post graduate/incumbent workforce training opportunities and methods and how to fund these opportunities. Alicia Cruz and Adam Barber Texas State Technical College