Journey-level

The NECA-IBEW Electrical training center is constantly on the move in an effort to stay ahead of the technology curve. We have a responsibility to react to training requests as our contractors and electricians become familiar with the technology they want to pursue. We are also looked to for input on where to focus efforts in moving forward in new environments ofthe industry.

This provides a unique challenge as we are expected to be able to provide the training as soon as it is recognized by the membership or publicized in the media.

We have a variety of resources for keeping ahead, most of which come from within our parent organizations. Our national training organization, the Electrical Training Alliance, provides us with new technology information in the form of email updates, technology bulletins, and webinars. These resources make us aware of what may be next. We then have to react based on the feasibility of the technology. Whether it will be taking hold in our area, or simply just a passing blip on the ever-changing horizon of good ideas.

Our other parent resource is from NECA and it’s many resources regarding construction trends, new technology and productivity. In addition to the many bulletins, email updates, and organizational meetings, NECA has a monthly magazine with “the first of it’s kind” articles regarding new technology and how it may have been utilized somewhere, or how contractors have taken advantage of an incidental effect of an unusual install. An example of this is a recent article about a “floating PV array” that was installed on a water reservoir. The location was chosen for its available unused surface area, but the net result was a more efficient PV array due to lower surface temperatures. A positive side effect was that the reservoir experienced a much lower degree of evaporation, as much of the water’s surface was covered with floating PV modules, which both generated energy and conserved water. This may be the future direction of the industry in our area as we have many reservoirs and have attempted other means to cover them in the past with poor results. PV arrays have also recently been installed over landfills and other similar areas that previously had been determined to be wasted space. It is this type of forward thinking that is keeping the industry on its toes in an effort to stay ahead of the curve.

I recently attended a training surrounding the use of LED lighting for retrofit applications in office spaces, schools and other high use buildings. The technology provides a much more economical installation in the form of energy consumption and cost of installed operation, but also has cutting edge technology integrated into the light fixture to provide Internet, security, and building control and automation over a single network. The concept integrates fiber optics for the backbone and horizontal network and utilizes wireless technology to the desktop. The developer and patent holder of this new technology has signed an exclusive agreement with the IBEW and as they move forward, we will again be on the cutting edge of technology, as it becomes part of the mainstream.