OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — A new facility will soon host the city's most eager electricians. Electrical Training Center Building Omaha has expanded into a new 24,000-square-foot addition.
"We are powering the future of the electrical industry, which according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics growing twice as fast as any industry," said Kevin Wetuski, training director.
The addition comes as the city is expanding and developing.
"We have a lot of jobs coming down the pipe here. I'll give you a few examples: we have a billion dollars in new construction that’s going to occur at Offutt Air force Base. We worked the past three years to get this money to rebuild after the flood that destroyed the base. I can bet you there’s going to be electrician jobs in that billion dollar construction," Congressman Don Bacon said.
Apprentices currently learning under the program are eager to join the workforce.
"It’s amazing. It means I have some job security — I guess is what everyone looks for, so it helps a lot. The job security, knowing I’ll probably be at work tomorrow, next week, next year, next month, so that helps a lot," Ryan Burks, a fifth-year apprentice said.
Burks will be in high demand when he graduates because the electrical industry is one of the fastest-growing industries. It's projected to grow 9% through 2030, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Burks says one of the best parts of the program is the hands-on learning he receives.
"When we’re in class and learning about how a panel or how breakers work or a transformer operates, it’s easy for the teacher to say 'Well, you wired up a transformer today, now you know what these components are,'" Burks said.
He's also thankful he gets the education without the student debt, allowing him to jump right into a high-paying field without the student debt.
