HUNTINGTON — Pending approval of a rezoning ordinance, the local union of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers will build a new technical school near its current site on Madison Avenue in Huntington.
Tim Akers, the training director, said the building would allow IBEW No. 317 to expand its current training programs. Right now, about 60 apprentices a year go through local training with another 60 who complete other training, but the addition of the technical school could bring in up to 500 local apprentices a year, as well as that many who complete other training. The Huntington Electrical Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee is an affiliate program of IBEW.
“Now we see kind of a green light. We’re going to go ahead and start the process of building again,” the training director said.
He said this project has been on the wish list for IBEW for some time and the project faced some delays because of the coronavirus pandemic. Akers said IBEW is expecting drawings on the layout of the school soon, and once construction starts, it should take a year to complete.
The new school would be behind IBEW’s buildings on Madison Avenue and south of Jefferson Avenue. IBEW plans to use local contractors, he said.
“Across the country, there is a need just for skilled craft workers, period,” Akers said.
He said electricians may be among the most needed jobs in the future around the county and in West Virginia.
The new facility would allow IBEW to bring back some training that has been outsourced, Akers said. About a third of current students are from the Huntington area and many are from the Tri-State area. Most of the projects the organization works on are in Huntington, he added. IBEW has been in Huntington for almost 75 years.
The Huntington City Council heard the first reading of a rezoning ordinance at its July 26 meeting. The ordinance requests rezoning the property from an R-2 residential district to a C-1 neighborhood commercial district. After a second reading, the council can vote on the ordinance at its meeting Monday, Aug. 9.
Akers said residents in the area probably won’t see much change in terms of noise when the new school is built. Existing equipment will be used for training. The school has classes throughout the day and in the evenings.
Apprentices are accepted on a rolling basis, Akers said. To learn more, visit huntingtonjatc.org.
Pending rezoning, IBEW plans to build new technical school - Huntington Herald Dispatch
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