Virginia Peninsula Community College is partnering with a trade association to offer a four-year apprenticeship program to train electricians beginning in late 2024 or early 2025.
The community college will work with Independent Electrical Contractors Chesapeake to offer the state and federally approved program to electrical contractors and others looking to enter the industry, the college announced in a news release. The program, backed by Department of Labor-recognized curriculum, will lead to an accredited electrician license.
Apprentices will work full-time and attend classes two nights a week for the 8,000 hours of on-the-job and classroom training required for the license, the school said. Students will learn about residential, commercial and industrial electrical as well as electrical vehicle charging and solar.
“We have no doubt this effort will benefit our community by creating clear pathways for those seeking exciting careers and benefit local employer partners by providing the support they need to develop their future workforce,” Todd Estes, VPCC vice president for workforce development, said in the announcement.
The contractor association has offered the training in Northern Virginia for more than 15 years. It has partnerships with Germanna Community College and the Community College Workforce Alliance in Richmond and will begin working with Tidewater Community College in South Hampton Roads in 2025.
An open house is tentatively planned for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 18 at the Peninsula Workforce Development Center at 600 Butler Farm Road in Hampton.
