Anyone heard of WECA-IEC instructors

[ramsy]

I got an Application Package.
After responding to a local ad for part-time instructors, I got an extensive application package from this merit shop association. WECA-IEC (Western Electrical Contractors Association, Inc., A chapter of Independent Electrical Contractors, Inc.)

Anyone heard of them?

The Nay Sayers
For teaching "Electrician Training curriculum series classes," my wife looked over the package and said, "Their hooking you into a-lot more than part-time teaching at night." She explained, I am expected to attend and pay out of pocket for orientations and seminars designed to provide continuing education, in addition to regimented course planning, punctuality, and being subjected to evaluations.

My wife thinks full-time contracting without other commitments is much more lucrative, and giggles at the prospect of me having patients with slower students. She doesn't give much weight to the bitting of finger nails while looking for work, or the inconsistency of contracting.

The Assumptions
I assumed teaching a night or two per week would not interfere with a day job. The package does not explain the cost or daytime hours required for this commitment, and teaching seems doable to me.

Anyone done this for WECA before?

My Reasons for Consideration
Teaching appeals as an avenue for retirement long after my aging beauty, and as exit strategy from general-contractor laborers moving into new markets. --Los Angeles basin laborer rates are now $600 Total, per house, for wiring 6 bdrm 4 bath tracks--. The local yellow pages is a Zoo of hungry contractors moving out of new construction and into the service sector. I don't see barriers to entry for exploiting laborers in other sectors, if GC offices take responsibility for the permit, and deal with people.

What are the cons of trade-specific teaching?
Are any experienced trade teachers out there willing to share a dark side, or offer some balance against making this an eventual exit strategy from contracting.

 

[peter d]

Anyone heard of them?

Yes, they are sort of a loose organization of medium/large non-union electrical contractors. It's basically set up so they can streamline the training of apprentices and journeymen in one regional school and member contractors can send their employees to the IEC school. There are some benefits to being a member of the IEC as a contractor, but I'm not sure what they are.

--Los Angeles basin laborer rates are now $600 Total, per house, for wiring 6 bdrm 4 bath tracks--.

I don't understand. Is this the total cost to the EC for labor to wire the house you mentioned? If so, that's pretty sad.

 

[LawnGuyLandSparky]

Is this a bona-fide State or Federally recognized apprenticeship program, or is this a "training program" qualified only by the participating member contractors? If the latter, it's possible you'd be participating in a "ghost school" whose sole purpose is for the member contractors to qualify to bid on public works projects.

 

[nakulak]

I looked at their web site http://www2.weca-iec.org:3391/default.asp - appears legit (not that I would be able to tell?). You said night courses but all I saw was daytime course hours (might have missed something).

 

[ramsy]

Yes, they are sort of a loose organization of medium/large non-union electrical contractors.

Thanks peter. I had heard of ABC, but not this one.

I don't understand. Is ($600) the total cost to the EC for labor to wire the house you mentioned? If so, that's pretty sad.

Yes. $600 is for labor. The B-license GC who is building the luxury tracks has been paying this rate to my co-workers uncle. My co-worker claims his uncle is operating undocumented, and other bids from similar laborers has forced his uncle to take substantial cuts to stay with this GC. My coworker does not differentiate between rough and finish, but claims the uncle's 1-2 man crew can complete all the home runs in these 6bdr 4bath units, in one day. This must be a rough-in arrangement only.

 

[ramsy]

Is this a bona-fide State or Federally recognized apprenticeship program, or is this a "training program" qualified only by the participating member contractors? If the latter, it's possible you'd be participating in a "ghost school" whose sole purpose is for the member contractors to qualify to bid on public works projects.

I will keep that in mind. I can ask these questions if called for an interview. They are asking for references first, with the application package. It appears my past employers & clients should receive a curtisy call from me first, or I could be screaned before the interview.

You said night courses but all I saw was daytime course hours (might have missed something).

The application pkg asks my availability 5:30 - 8:30 PM weekly, and if I'm fluent in other languages.

In July 2007 an outfit called Bayside Solutions sent me a similar package, after promissing work on a public works project with an Aug-1 start date. The detailed application provided them photo copies of my SS Card, JW Cert, Drivers License, Etc., then after ignoring me for three months, they finally claimed the work went to laborers.

After this experience, I've tried to avoid putting my social or sensitive numbers on any more applicaitons, and am adverse to filling out applicaitons, or providing personal information before an interview, since it has been a collosal agrivation and waist of time.

Thanks to everyone for your input. I will post the responses to our questions, if I am actually interviewed.

 

[Minuteman]

I am a member of the IEC. The BAT training that the IEC offers is a bonafide curriculum for an electrical apprenticeship.

This program is a USDOL- BAT approved four (4) year electrical apprenticeship program that combines a minimum total of 576 hours of Classroom Instruction with 8,000 hours of On-The-Job-Training!

http://www.iec-okc.org//EducationTraining/BATApprenticeship/batapprenticeship.html

I say, go for it.

 

[petersonra]

I think this is the more or less standard non-union apprenticeship thing.

I have run across a lot of guys who have taken this route and the training and people seem to be top of the line.

 

[LawnGuyLandSparky]

I will keep that in mind. I can ask these questions if called for an interview. They are asking for references first, with the application package. It appears my past employers & clients should receive a curtisy call from me first, or I could be screaned before the interview.



The application pkg asks my availability 5:30 - 8:30 PM weekly, and if I'm fluent in other languages.

In July 2007 an outfit called Bayside Solutions sent me a similar package, after promissing work on a public works project with an Aug-1 start date. The detailed application provided them photo copies of my SS Card, JW Cert, Drivers License, Etc., then after ignoring me for three months, they finally claimed the work went to laborers.

After this experience, I've tried to avoid putting my social or sensitive numbers on any more applicaitons, and am adverse to filling out applicaitons, or providing personal information before an interview, since it has been a collosal agrivation and waist of time.

Thanks to everyone for your input. I will post the responses to our questions, if I am actually interviewed.

In the future, disclose you SS# to no one. Nobody needs to know the number until you're hired. Up until about 8 years ago, my SS# was printed right on the address label of every piece of mail from the IBEW. These days it's not even on the pay stubs or the vacation checks or the union card.

 

[ramsy]

To my surprise an interviewer did call me last night to schedule a Saturday interview, today. Since, WECA is new to the Los Angeles area, the interview was conducted at a remote office. It was a 200 mile round trip to San Deigo, a $40.00 investment in gas, and 23 hr investment in time, to prepare and teach the lesson on Ohm's law to the interviewer.

The interviewer explained the practice lesson & interview format is an attempt to help identify what instructor skills their looking for and to avoid repeating a firing of 3 out of 5 instructors that didn't work out last year. The feedback for my performance was sincere, and came from a voice of experience, and was offered in the spirit of encouragement. It seemed like they were going to hire me at first.

After my presentation the interviewer offered constructive feedback to better simplify and focus my presentation to entry-level students. I was ultimately invited to try again next time, if regulatory enforcement measures generated the need for more instructors next year.

I believe the difficulty was my resumes 3-year union work history, given the obvious 5-year indentured-program requirements of IBEW/NECA joint apprenticeship committees (JAC). My obvious lack of JAC program completion weighed poorly on me teaching other students. Further, when I described the JAC's 25% cancellation rate of good people, with ruined livelihoods for trivial reasons, as something less than ideal, the interviewer described the competitive completion of indentured programs (merit-shop or union) as a proud accomplishment. While my resume and re-invention of myself after failing this program was described as impressive, it was not as comfortable as a fraternal-program member.

Failing to negotiate my fuel costs before the interview was my own fault. The perception of self confidence in a teacher or leadership role may be important here. But, traveling 200 miles without asking for compensation may have invited the perception of poor confidence and an easy exploit.

 

[ramsy]

BTW this WECA-IEC interviewer described three different training programs that are qualified by the state. There was the traditional-indentured apprenticeship (Federal BAT), a public school curriculum, and Electrical training (ET). WECA's ET is described as a private arrangement that schedules class time similar to indentured BAT programs, with classes starting much earlier than night school, but at 1/10th the state-mandated cost of $12000 per year per student.

Unlike indentured programs, ET classes @ $1200 per year can be paid by students or qualified financial aid programs, if the shop does not voluntarily contribute. What was most interesting about this "Electrical Training" system is how the same public policy that may qualify for financial aids, also prohibits using job site & private academic-performance reports to cancel students from the program. Unlike indentured programs, Students can repeat a failed class, before getting canceled. This is much similar to public-school policy.

 

[LawnGuyLandSparky]

I believe the difficulty was my resumes 3-year union work history, given the obvious 5-year indentured-program requirements of IBEW/NECA joint apprenticeship committees (JAC). My obvious lack of JAC program completion weighed poorly on me teaching other students. Further, when I described the JAC's 25% cancellation rate of good people, with ruined livelihoods for trivial reasons, as something less than ideal, the interviewer described the competitive completion of indentured programs (merit-shop or union) as a proud accomplishment. While my resume and re-invention of myself after failing this program was described as impressive, it was not as comfortable as a fraternal-program member.

I'm going to hazard a guess that your perception of causality here is off the mark. Check your PMs.

 

[tom baker]

I instructed for a national orgainization before I started my own part time electrical instructing business. If you are an instructor, you should be paid a more than the top level electrician or supervisor. It was hourly pay, I got a W-9 and could not deduct any expenses, such as seminars. I also did not like the material they made me use.
With my own business everything is a deduction, and I control the material I use. Also I have a bachelors degree in workforce education, that plus my electrical experience worked out well.
But its a lot of time instructing any class, and the IEC may not want to pay your for prep time. A good rule of thumb is one hour at the podium requires 8 hours prep- for a new program, for their material, it may only be a few hours.
Consider offering your own classes. The best material on the market is right here.