Becoming a Union electrician is about quite a bit more than pulling conductors into conduit and installing receptacles. It involves a sea change in how you view your work life, an intense journey of learning the skills and knowledge necessary to work as a professional in our field, and a dedication to your brothers and sisters that proves why organized labor is one of the most vital heartbeats of American life.

Many apprentices come into our fold with little to no experience—which is not to say they lack talent, but without knowledge or skills frontloaded. This of course is by design in many aspects.

No matter the circumstance, apprentices have just as much a voice as a journeyman. Union meetings are one of the most sacred places for our members and it is in our hall that we have the chance to hear from leadership and to make our own voices heard at the microphone.

Every year, the fifth-year apprentices gather on a Saturday for a comprehensive, labor-intensive, cumulative assessment. The day-long endeavor is comprised of different tests that span the entire apprenticeship from motor control to 3-way switching to advanced conduit bending.

It’s not easy being a first year. All of a sudden you are thrown from whatever job you had before you were indentured into a construction career that you’re told is going to change your life and offer you all the opportunity in the world if you just focus. True as that may be, it can be daunting for many, challenging for many still.

Being a member of a Union has a lot of moving parts. You must make sure your work continues a level of professionalism commensurate with our training, you have to make sure your brothers and sisters are protected and understand their rights, and, maybe most importantly, you must be a constant advocate for organized labor. 

A Union prides itself on how well its members can stick together through thick and thin. At myriad meetings throughout the country, hats are passed for tragedy, phones are called for commiseration, and local committees exist as a way for people to support members who have other things in common.

A word that may not be used often enough in reference to tradesmen is “grace.” There is an element to what we do as skilled labor that can only be described as grace, not just in the quality of the work we produce but about how we handle hardship and adversity on the jobsite. 

Humility is an incredible asset in an apprentice. A person who is freshly introduced to our trade may find themselves swimming in all the new information. But with tenacity and hard work, even the greenest of apprentices can rise to become forces to be reckoned with.

There’s a word that can be used to truly describe what constitutes an apprentice worthy of apprentice of the month: humility. When someone thinks about this month’s apprentice, Dmitriy Isayev, that is one of the first words that comes to mind.

When a first year apprentice comes in, you hope they understand the gravity of their apprenticeship. The hallowed seats they represent, the impact it has on a young life, all these things amount to a career filled with opportunity and pride in a person’s work.

A good apprentice must be keen to learn. They must be able to follow instructions and be able to take constructive criticism. They must keep an open mind and learn to grow and be molded by their journeymen. More than anything, they have to prove they have the tenacity of spirit and humility needed to make it through an IBEW/NECA apprenticeship.