It’s easy to start with the money.
That’s why Nico Fiore, of Local 102 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, quickly tells those who come up to his table about how you start the IBEW’s five-year apprenticeship program at $25 an hour — “when you know absolutely nothing,” he’ll say —and finish at closer to $65.
Once he’s piqued their interest, he’ll discuss the real benefits.
“This isn’t just about having a job that pays good money, it’s about having a career,” he said. “This is for the long run.
“Being an electrician is something you’re going to do for the rest of your life. You’re going to be successful — and you’re going to have great benefits, be able to support yourself and a family, and retire comfortably.”
Pitches like this were being made all afternoon Tuesday in Edison on the first day of Construction Industry Career Day, a session that drew more than 700 potential union workers of all ages who were getting a chance to see if this is a path for them.
The event, sponsored by the Associated Construction Contractors of New Jersey, continues Wednesday, when more than 2,000 high school students will visit the more than three dozen exhibitors.
They will get quite an introduction.
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Locals representing carpenters, welders, bricklayers, plumbers and operating engineers are just some of the presenters. And they are doing more than just talking.
The Eastern Atlantic States Carpenters area has a place where attendees can try their hand at using a screw gun on a drywall display.
“I think they’re surprised about how the tools work because they’re not familiar with them,” Butch Wellwig, of the EASC Technical College, said. “They may have seen it before, but they’ve never actually done it. This gives them a great idea of what it’s like.”
The same can be said at the large setup for the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, which has a half-dozen rows of brick walls waiting for prospective members to try their hand at the job.
“They get a little dirty, but there’s nothing like feeling the work,” Ren Engelhardt said.
Engelhardt, who has been coming to the event for a decade, said he leaves each year with the names of a few dozen interested attendees.
The real benefit, he said, is how the event helps attract people to the industry that may not have even attended.
“We often hear from people who heard about us from people who came here,” he said. “The benefits can spread by word of mouth.”
And experience.
Engelhardt said he already had someone in a current apprenticeship class show up with two friends.
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Creating these touchpoints and exposure moments is the goal of the event, ACCNJ Chief Operating Officer Jill Schiff said.
“Today has been an incredible turnout of job seekers, young men and women who have come with their parents to understand what the union construction chariots can offer them as far as a career path,” she said.
Schiff said she appreciates when attendees come as part of a family – and wishes more would.
“Parents will go to a college career fair and on a college tour, so why wouldn’t they come here with their kid and see what we’re offering,” she said. “Here, they are able to ask some questions: What does the salary structure look like? How many years is the training?”
The event featured exhibitors from eight local colleges and universities, too, so attendees can see if and how the college experience plays into the industry. Hudson County Community College recently completed a unique two-year program with IUOE 102 in which the students got training while working toward a two-year degree.
Representatives from NJIT explain how their College of Engineering could offer a different path into the construction industry.
And there are presenters from industry groups, such as Professional Women in Construction, reminding attendees the industry has long moved on from being a male-only profession.
Schiff said it’s all about building for the future.
“This is about putting that seed in somebody’s head,” she said. “They may not necessarily be able to enter the trades right now – because they’re either in another profession or they might still be in high school – but two or three years from now, they may remember coming to this and realize it’s a good option.
“This is about creating a future workforce.”
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A future workforce certainly gains a new understanding of the industry.
That is the goal of Joe Torretta of the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers.
Who?
That’s the point, Torretta said.
“Nobody knows who we are,” he joked. “I didn’t know who we were when I started 23 years ago.
“When you think of insulation, you think of what’s in the walls. That’s not us. We do mechanical insulation — HVAC, plumbing, boilers, chillers, piping, duct work — you name it.
“A fancy way to describe our job is ‘energy conservation specialist’ — which, in this day and age, is very much needed.”
And if the appeal to being environmentally friendly isn’t enough, Torretta brought a visual that always has impact: A copy of a payroll check for $2,377.60.
“That can be for one week,” he said.
That is what Constuction Industry Career Day is all about: Exposing careers with great pay to a new generation of workers.
People such as Fiore.
He recently completed his five-year apprenticeship with IBEW Local 102 and is well on his way to a life-long career. He is eager to tell his tale to anyone who approaches the table.
“I volunteered to be here,” he said. “I want to tell people about these careers.”
