IBEW Local 490 and NECA NH Division
Open New Hampshire JATC Electrical Industry Training Center Facility in Concord, NH
Event for state-of-the-art, solar powered training center attended by NH State Senator Lou D’Allessandro, State Officials and Construction Industry Leaders
Concord, NH – On Saturday, August 23, New Hampshire Senator Lou D’Allessandro joined with other New Hampshire officials and leaders from the construction industry at a cable-cutting ceremony that opened the new IBEW Local Union 490 / Joint Apprenticeship Training Council (JATC) Training Center in Concord, New Hampshire.
The electrical training center is a state-of-the-art 8,080 square foot, 1-level facility with 7 classrooms and a large lab designed to enable electrical training that can simulate conditions in the field. At the New Hampshire JATC training center, apprentice and journeymen electricians gain a hands-on, broad based electrical training for all skills they will use in the field, ranging from pipe bending to Programmable Logic Control (PLC), from power generation to lighting systems, from AC/DC theory to innovative, emerging technologies, including solar/photovoltaics and wind energy, and the installation techniques of all electrical systems. An emphasis within the JATC electrical training program, which is co-sponsored by NECA and IBEW, is Safety Training. IBEW Local 490 has 350 members and the New Hampshire JATC currently has 60 electrical apprentices enrolled in its five-year training program.
In keeping with the electrical industry’s trend toward "green" construction and renewable energy, the IBEW Local 490 Training facility features a photovoltaic (solar) system on the roof of the facility. A group of 5th year apprentices in the program installed the system, which consists of 54 solar panels (provided by Sharp Photovoltaics) and accompanying inverters, and the power generated from the system is expected to provide all the power requirements for the facility. Jason Strong, New Hampshire’s JATC solar photovoltaic trainer commented, saying, "Beyond providing power for the training facility, the key in this installation is really that we will also train other members in PV installations, which is a rapidly growing sector in renewable energy."
The New Hampshire JATC training facility was designed by the architectural firm C.N. Carley Associates of Concord, NH. The General Contractor was CCB, Inc., of Westbrook Maine. NECA member Catamount Electric and Alarm of Pittsfield, NH provided electrical construction. Throughout the project, Catamount managed a field crew of between two and five electricians from Local 490. Other primary subcontractors included mechanical contractor American Mechanical; roofing contractor Greenwood Industries; painting contractor, Eastcoast Spraying; and flooring contractor Merrimack Tile. Construction commenced in October 2007 and the facility opened in September for electrical training.
Leaders from New Hampshires government and construction community were present.Senator D’Allessandro was joined at the ceremony by: Jack Jarvis, State Director, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship Training in Concord, NH; John D. Shea, Executive Councilor, State of New Hampshire; George Copadis, Labor Commissioner, NH Department of Labor; Richie Eckler, Helmets to Hardhats, Northeastern Field Representative; Gail Kinney of the New Hampshire Building Trades; and electrical industry representatives that included Joseph M. Casey, Business Manager IBEW Local 490; Denis R. Beaudoin, President of IBEW LU 490; Joachim Howard, Business Agent Local 490; Jonathan Mitchell, Training Director of the New Hampshire JATC Electrical Training Program; Kevin Cash, IBEW District 2 International Field Representative; Glenn Kingsbury, Executive Manager of the Boston Chapter and New Hampshire Division of the National Electrical Contractors' Association (NECA); and Glenn Brackett, Business Manager of IBEW Local 2320; Mark MacKenzie - New Hampshire AFL/CIO President; and NECA contractor representatives Lyle Doughty, Bill Emerson and Steve Scarponi each of whom are members of the New Hampshire Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee.
Helmets to Hardhats, a national organization that helps transition active duty and reserve members of the U.S. military into civilian life by providing training and employment opportunities within the construction industry, has had active participation in New Hampshire’s electrical training program and has been a major impetus for the opening of the new facility.
In addressing the event’s attendees, Business Manager Joe Casey focused on the opportunity the training facility will provide to residents in New Hampshire. He said, "the facility enables us to provide the most advanced electrical training to our workforce. Technological advancements within the industry, including solar and wind energy, have opened up a whole new world of opportunity within the industry. We are proud to provide quality classroom training as well as practical training, and in so doing, provide opportunity for young men and women so they can be productive citizens in the community."
Jack Jarvis, State Director, U.S. Department of Labor for Apprenticeship Training added, "This facility is all about a commitment to quality training. It will feature green technology training, and is truly a green building. State-of-the-art equipment (provided in large part by Klein Tools and Sharp Photovoltaics) enables us to deliver the finest in electrical training."
IBEW Local 490, working with the Job Corps and allowing the job corps to utilize the facility for electrical training. Jarvis said, "It’s great for the Job Corps and also for IBEW to have a facility that can have far-reaching benefits, even beyond its own workforce.
NECA’s New Hampshire Division Executive Manager Glenn Kingsbury spoke of the teamwork and cooperation of NECA and IBEW, which is vital to the union electrical industry, and the "great pride that this training facility brings to both organizations, as it represents the future of the electrical industry in New Hampshire, which indeed is a bright one. It is the goal of NECA and IBEW to deliver the finest, most comprehensive training program to its apprentices and journeymen, and Local 490 deserves a great deal of credit for making this happen in the State of New Hampshire."
Senator D’Allesandro commented on the importance of the facility to the State’s construction industry and its people, relating that it represents career opportunities with solid wages and benefits for young tradespeople and also that the result of a fine training facility and training program is that delivers quality construction for the cities and towns of New Hampshire.
