After 20 months of construction, Building Omaha (buildingomaha.org)—dually funded by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA)—has opened a new 24,000-square-foot addition to its Electrical Training Center located at 8960 L St. in Omaha. To celebrate, Building Omaha hosted a grand opening ribbon-cutting event on August 12, complete with tours, food trucks, vendor demos, and other fun activities. In addition, remarks were given by Congressman Don Bacon, Mike Bunach (NECA), Kevin Wetuski (training director, JATC), and Barry Mayfield (business manager, IBEW).
The existing training building was built in 2002. The new addition to the building, which started in November 2020, puts the campus at over 56,000 square feet. Since the building was opened, just over 1,000 have graduated from Building Omaha’s nationally renowned apprenticeship program.
“With Omaha growing, now is the perfect time to recruit more people to a lucrative electrical career by enrolling in our apprenticeship training program at our new state-of-the-art facility,” said Mike Bunach, executive director of NECA. “Our hybrid program blends classroom learning from seasoned professionals with on-the-job training from licensed journeymen, all while students earn as they learn and embark on an exciting career.”
According to the U.S. Census, the Omaha metro area population is expected to hit the one million mark by 2024, and there is a major need for electricians to help keep the area shining. The electrical industry is also currently experiencing a shortage while simultaneously projected to grow 9% through 2030, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nationally there are nearly 85,000 job openings for electricians with local salaries ranging from $75,000-$100,000 plus benefits. In the next 10 years, the number of projected jobs in this field stands at around 800,000.
Building Omaha (IBEW-NECA) is a nonprofit organization established through a collective bargaining agreement devoted to promoting the union electrical construction industry through advertising, publicity, continuing education, and a wide range of services to both the union and management members. For more information, visit buildingomaha.org.