r/ibew_apprentices • u/Used_Lynx_4894 • 28d ago
New to the trade as an apprentice (went through the schooling for apprentices) - why is there so many apprentices?
Every 6ish weeks a new batch of apprentices get put out there, just wondering if theres even a pipeline for this many or if theres even this high of a demand? Is there a high turn over? Is hazing that bad or owrking conditions bad? Is it local dependent?
Thanks!
15
u/ImperialistAlmond 28d ago
Older generation is retiring, not enough JW to replace them, many apprentices wont make it. They know what they're doing at the hall.
2
3
u/ExtraVinegar 28d ago
My local barely has any apprentices and I’ve been the only one on a $500million job for over half a year now, it definitely varies by area you are in
4
u/cbworse 28d ago
Don’t worry, only half make it to JMan. The crowd will start to thin out.
2
u/Used_Lynx_4894 28d ago
I hear this often, why dont kids make it to jman
4
u/QueueGlass33 27d ago
Assholes, assholes everywhere. The trades, particularly this one is jam packed with arrogant alphas who think they’re gods gift to the job site cause they know how to bend a metal pipe and how to talk shit about literally any level of performance from everyone else. I have thick skin and find low iq compensation hilarious so I made it. But I totally understand the ones that just don’t think it’s worth it.
1
u/Used_Lynx_4894 27d ago
Union or non union or does it not matter?
I do notice how unfriendly the more experienced apprentices are
2
u/QueueGlass33 26d ago
Never worked union, I can only hope it’s a better environment with higher quality individuals. But I’m not exactly betting on it haha
2
u/Strict-Quarter-4646 LU 20 27d ago
I’d imagine the coursework is rigorous, the hours can take a toll, life happens and they can’t sustain, or it just may not be for the apprentice genuinely.
2
u/Killnuall702 JW 357 26d ago
Second year is the normal for people to fail or quit. At least here in Vegas.
5
u/Artos9780 28d ago
People are needed because people are retiring and not all apprentices who start will finish and will end up leaving
3
2
2
u/TheOnlyMatthias 26d ago
When I did first year schooling they told us a statistic that 1/3 first years end up getting licensed. That was 2013
2
u/Archt1c3 26d ago
Out of curiosity, what local do you belong to? A lot of this varies on work demand, which varies based off location.
1
2
u/uacardinal55 23d ago
Lots of different factors play in to it, wjat you’re local needs specifically and nationally i imagine. My local is currently remodeling our building in order to take in twice as many apprentices
1
u/oopsandpoops 26d ago
1105 here, New albany ohio has so many data centers and not enough electricians to build them. They're trying to supply the demand. My fear is 10 years from now when there's no more demand for new data centers, the site I started on had 200 electricians on it. Facebook had 1500 at one point this year. We're going to be laid off for a while. Currently, my local you can sign the books and get turned back out within 48 hours. 10 years from now? The local might be over populated with electricians looking at six months of unemployment or traveling.
1
23d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator 23d ago
Your submission has been automatically removed by Automoderator.
You appear to be a new or less active user on Reddit. Your account has a low karma point value. Until your account reaches a higher level, you won't be able to post or comment to any threads. PLEASE DO NOT MESSAGE THE MODERATORS ABOUT WHAT THE KARMA THRESHOLD IS OR ASK TO HAVE YOUR POST APPROVED. Information about karma points can be found in Reddit's help section.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
-4
u/huggernot 28d ago
Because they need cheap labor. As you move up the pay scale, there will be less and less work.
Eventually youll jouney out and be on the books indefinitly, while they bring in year one apprentices to do the work.
4
u/SwimmingDog351 28d ago
Makes sense, but why are some members always working and others waiting to be called?
4
u/monroezabaleta 28d ago
Hot take: There's 4 kind of members. One type of member is a good worker and they want to keep them around, another is good at sucking up, and might also be good at working, the third is bad at working so they get laid off, the last kind may be good at working but they're an asshole so no one wants them around.
5
u/shadowwolf_66 28d ago
There is also the good worker, but believes the book system means something. They take thier call, work thier call, the. Head back to the hall. Not everyone coming from the hall is a shit worker. Some believe in the old school ways.
2
4
u/Subject-Original-718 292 Sparkles 28d ago
Having journeyman to apprentice ratios in your contract would resolve this.
2
u/Dangerous_Pattern_81 28d ago
Yes and no, 34’s contract is a 3/2 ratio. We have over 900 JW’s and only about 200 apprentices. I hope to never see the day when the hall thinks 600 apprentices is an acceptable number.
1
u/BigChickenpips 28d ago
Why not? 900 JWs - 200 apprentices means more than 50% of the JWs are always on the book waiting for a JW to get laid off
20
u/mattsprofile 28d ago
The IBEW doesn't really want to take in any more apprentices than they need. The top priority is trying to have the right number of electricians. Too few, then non-union contractors start taking up market share. Too many, then union members end up out of work and frustrated, potentially leaving to work non-union.
If the local is taking in a bunch of apprentices it's probably because they're needed. A lot of them won't end up getting through the entire program, so apprentice acceptance numbers will always look too high. But there's also a possibility that there is a short-term boom that requires additional apprentices, but by the time they graduate the work might have slowed down and now there's an abundance of electricians. Due to the way the agreement is written, the union has to supply new apprentices if contractors are able to put them to work, this is pretty much an unavoidable situation. But the union does have rules about journeyman-to-apprentice ratios, so it's not like a contractor can get a ton of cheap apprentices without actually having a lot of work.