Skillpoint Alliance hired Alan Wilson in 2017 to redesign the Skillpoint’s existing Electrical program transforming it to a Pre-Apprenticeship program in order to better prepare graduates to enter the industry at entry level and an apprenticeship program.
By meeting with industry partners in the Electrical field, Skillpoint Alliance determined that the current curriculum did not include the necessary skills companies wanted from their new hires, such as extensive practice conduit bending, yet taught students about tools they may never use in their future career.
After months of dissecting partner feedback, Skillpoint re-assessed whether the 8 week program it had offered since 2010 was still relevant. Alan presented a 4 week, rapid program focusing on only the essential skills for students to become Electrical Apprentices. Included in this new model is the culminating event on the last day of the class, the Electrical Triathlon.
The Electrical Triathlon allows graduates to show off the most important hands-on skills and knowledge they learned during the four weeks, including Device Box Wiring, Conduit Bending and Electrical Tools knowledge. Competing in front of potential employers and industry partners, students are proving they’re ready to get to work in the field.
“We think this is a great idea that Skillpoint came together to compete the students to test their hands-on skills, to test their knowledge and it allows the students to be prepared for the competition in the field against other apprentices for the next level of opportunities in the Electrical trade,” said Eric Peralez, Training Director of IEC (Independent Electrical Contractors).
On May 25, 2018, Skillpoint Alliance welcomed program funders and local agencies as spectators to the third Electrical Triathlon of the year. Guests were able to ask questions about the class, its recruiting and acceptance process into the rigorous program, and see the benefits a program like Electrical can give to the Central Texas workforce.
The students are evaluated by their accuracy and time lapsed for each event. The student with the best scores earns a 20-piece toolkit and conduit bender tool, which they can use to begin building their own tool sets. The remaining students earn a smaller toolkit to celebrate their efforts. To close out the event, students are presented with their licenses, certificates of completion, and celebrate graduating their program.
Thank you to our partners in attendance; Workforce Solutions Capital Area, Workforce Solutions Rural Capital, Texas Workforce Commission, Samsung, Travis County, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, and IBM.
