For the 2017-2018 training year, ABC’s Central Ohio Chapter had more than 250 apprentices enrolled at seven different locations. Nearly 30 percent were first-year students compared to only 19 percent of students preparing to graduate.

The organization’s primary facility in Columbus—which is home to the Ohio Construction Academy (a charter high school) during the day and four apprenticeship classes each evening—needed an upgrade to accommodate increased enrollment in electrical, plumbing and carpentry trades.

With support from a TCEF grant, the chapter is converting 2,500 square feet of the facility into mixed-used classroom and hands-on lab space for higher-level electrical programs. It also added plumbing and carpentry capacity to existing hands-on lab space, including two new movable plumbing stations.

“We are planning to use the upstairs lab as a multi-trade facility whereby instructors can collaborate to create and build a hotel suite,” says Barton Hacker, president of the ABC Central Ohio Chapter. “If we can properly develop this during the next 12 to 18 months, we will create a real-life lab that effectively replicates an apprentice’s on-the-job experience.”

Companies such as Titan Electrical Construction & Design, TG Plumbing & Mechanical, Inc., and Converse Electric have donated equipment to support the new training spaces, including 24 conduit benders, a small electrical generator, a rooftop HVAC unit, and bath and kitchen appliances. Keeping these items secure is crucial, so ABC’s warehouse manager built a lockable tool and supply room from scratch. A sliding barn door makes it easy to wheel tool and supply carts in and out during lab lessons, and the exterior walls were purposely left unfinished so students can wire electrical and motor control stations.

The infusion of cash from TCEF and in-kind contributions has allowed apprentices to spend more time in the lab and less time in the classroom—invigorating both students and instructors.

“In the last six months alone, we shifted the percentage of classroom to lab time from 70/30 to 40/60. This is huge,” Hacker says. “We have received far more positive reviews of our training program this past year. One company, Dayton-based McKeever & Neikamp Electric, says the feedback from students from two years ago versus last year is ‘night and day.’”

Importantly, the changes have drawn interest from companies looking for quality training programs. Since January, the ABC Central Ohio Chapter has attracted four new electrical companies to participate in apprenticeship training and two other electrical companies asked ABC to sponsor training at their own facilities. One new plumbing company joined ABC and placed six apprentices into the program, and two companies have inquired about starting a painting program.

“There’s a lot more yet to be done, but the TCEF grant has given us the ability to properly plan and upgrade,” Hacker says.

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