St. Louis – In the era of the “electrification of everything,” the IBEW/NECA Electrical Connection partnership is providing critical support to a pioneering construction pre-apprenticeship program at St. Mary’s South Side Catholic High School here. The Missouri Works Initiative will use a $30,000 Electrical Connection donation to expand its St. Louis Building Union Diversity (BUD) program to the independent Catholic high school and potentially expand it to other high schools.
The Electrical Connection is a partnership of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1 and the St. Louis Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA).
FIRST HIGH SCHOOL IN MISSOURI
The 2023-2024 school year is the first time the nationally recognized North America Building Trades Union’s Multi-Craft Core Curriculum (MC3) will be introduced at a high school in Missouri. At St. Mary’s the MC3 curriculum will be facilitated through two elective class sections that will consist of 120 hours of instruction.
“There is universal recognition that we need to re-energize hands-on construction training programs which launch well paying careers and are so critical to building our nation’s needs,” said Megan Price, executive director of the Missouri Works Initiative.
“The IBEW/NECA Electrical Connection has led Missouri’s workforce development in rapidly advancing electrical and communication technology which is changing the way we live. Meeting the needs of greater energy efficiency, electric vehicle infrastructure, traditional and renewable forms of energy, and the digital age are all part of an enduring commitment to training by the IBEW/NECA Electrical Connection.”
TRAINING HIGHLY SKILLED AND SAFE ELECTRICIANS
The IBEW/NECA partnership established the first certified electrical training program in 1941. Since then, the IBEW/NECA Electrical Industry Training Center at 2300 Hampton Ave. has trained more highly skilled and safe electricians and communication technicians than any education program in Missouri.
“We have supported the BUD program since its inception in 2014,” said IBEW Local 1 Business Manager Frank Jacobs. “St. Mary’s High School is ideally suited to capitalize on the BUD program with its diverse student body and commitment to expand career opportunities.”
95% OF ST. MARY’S STUDENTS RECEIVE FINANCIAL AID
Located at 4701 S. Grand Blvd. in the Dutchtown Neighborhood, St. Mary’s High School President Mike England says 60 percent of its students live within a five-mile radius of the school and 95 percent receive financial aid. “The IBEW/NECA Electrical Industry Training where our students will receive hands-on training has a comprehensive curriculum in electrical and communications technology,” said England. “It delivers not just a skilled and safe workforce but launches careers of limitless possibility in the electrical and communications industry.”
CONTRACTORS SEE VALUE
“Our NECA contractors see great value in supporting the BUD program expansion to high schools,” said Kyle McKenna, executive vice president of the St. Louis chapter of NECA. “Students will meet our NECA contractors and learn about the complex projects we proficiently engineer and manage. They will see what it takes to power, connect and shape our future.”
ABOUT THE BUD PROGRAM
The BUD program will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2024 and is supported by 10 St. Louis union trades. It was created by the St. Louis Building & Construction Trades Council AFL-CIO as a recruitment tool to encourage more minorities and women to get into the union-building trades. Since then, it has achieved a graduation rate of 92 percent and a placement rate of 82 percent. Missouri Works Initiative now manages the program.
To learn more about the Electrical Connection, visit www.electricalconnection.org.
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