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10.11.2016

Start a Rewarding Career with an Apprenticeship

Start a Rewarding Career with an Apprenticeship This September, Faith Technologies nearly doubled our apprentice headcount by adding 220 new electrical and specialty systems apprentices to our internal apprenticeship programs. Faith Technologies currently employs 473 apprentices in the electrical and specialty systems trades, and with our focus on ground-up growth, we do not plan to stop anytime soon!

In 2017, our goal is to add an additional 350 apprentices. While some of the 350 apprentices will include promotions for those currently employed with the company, the vast majority are new positions that we are and will be actively hiring for.

With so many post-secondary opportunities available to high school graduates, one may ask “Why apprenticeship?” Below are three reasons why choosing an apprenticeship program is not only an excellent alternative to the traditional college experience, but also a path that allows an individual to directly enter the workforce and obtain a debt-free education at the same time.

  • Apprentices graduate without student loan debt. According to a recent article in TIME, this year, more than two-thirds of college graduates graduated with an average student loan debt of $35,000, a number high enough to be deemed “excessive debt.” Students who graduate with excessive debt are more likely to delay major life events post-graduation. They are also more likely to take jobs outside of their field, to work more hours, and to take on more than one job to make ends meet. This excessive debt may even mean moving back in with their parents. In fact, CNBC states that in 2014, over 32% of millennials were living with their parents post-graduation.

Apprenticeships, however, are affordable. Right now, the average four-year electrical apprenticeship cost approximately $2,000 per year, including tuition and textbooks. Apprenticeships do not require financing through student loans, so apprentices are able to graduate without the burden of student loan debt. Faith Technologies takes this one step further. All new Faith apprentices are awarded a full tuition scholarship for their first year of school. To keep the scholarship each year, the apprentice must earn an “A” in class, submit timely work reports, and exhibit satisfactory progress in the field. By performing at a high level, Faith’s apprentices have the opportunity to earn a tuition-free education!

  • Apprentices graduate with a full-time career in a rapidly growing field. Upon completion of an apprenticeship program, graduates take a journey-worker exam to become a licensed professional in either the electrical or specialty systems trade. At this point, the individual has accumulated more than four years of experience in the field and is prepared to not only earn a license, but has moved beyond entry-level work. Additionally, graduates of an apprenticeship program have already found an employer, eliminating the stressful post-college job hunt.

As one employee stated, “The sky is truly the limit at Faith Technologies. Their internal training programs have equipped me with many opportunities to both advance my skills and grow my career.” At Faith Technologies, we use the apprenticeship program as a pipeline into various development paths throughout the company. This allows employees to not only gain field experience, but to also grow into areas such as project management, safety, and preconstruction.

Not only is the industry facing an enormous skilled labor shortage, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the demand for electricians continues to grow, estimating job growth of nearly 20% before the year 2024. Contractors like Faith Technologies are hiring individuals of all skill levels. If you have a positive attitude, are willing to learn, and have strong work ethic, we can teach you what you need to know to be a successful electrician or specialty systems technician. Apprenticeship programs allow an individual without any experience to gain the knowledge and experience to not just have a job, but to create a career.

  • Access to advanced technology. Traditionally, the job of electrician has been portrayed as dirty work, but that simply isn’t the case anymore. As Faith Technologies continues to advance, we find ourselves developing employees into “electricians of the future.” With technologies such as building information modeling (BIM), 3D scanning technology, and the Robotic Total Station (RTS) being incorporated on the jobsite, you may not find as many employees standing around a set of prints as you once did. Are there still times when you must roll up your sleeves and do the dirty work? Certainly! But, as we continue to weave technology into our day-to-day operations, and as our customers continue to demand the latest and greatest technologies, our electricians are becoming solutions providers, critical thinkers, and business players.

Are you a high school student looking for something other than the traditional college experience? Are you a college student looking to get out of the student loan debt spiral? Visit Faith Technologies’ apprenticeship web page and job board to learn more about why an apprenticeship program may be the right choice for you!