By Laura James
Kristen Williams, the first female president of the Atlanta chapter of national trade association Independent Electrical Contractors, is a graduate of the IEC’s apprenticeship program. Williams, who has been president of Penco Electrical Contractors in Morrow for 18 years, chatted about the industry and skills employers are seeking.
Q: What did you learn in the IEC apprenticeship program and how did it help you get where you are today?
A: The first couple years of the IEC apprenticeship program are an introduction into the theory of electricity and how it’s derived. I went through the IEC because I felt like I needed that foundation in order to be successful in our industry. As you progress to third year and fourth year that’s more hands-on. They have the labs where you’re learning how to wire things, conduit bending and the actual technical things that you need in the field to do installation. It’s kind of like going to college to get a degree.
Q: What kind of skills do people need to work in this field?
A: When we are looking to hire individuals we ask that they have technical background, whether it’s onsite in the field or technical training of some kind. They need to have computer skills. Maybe not in the apprenticeship, but as you work your way up to a lead or foreman-type individual, you have to have computer skills. Communication skills are also really important because you deal with so many different types of individuals. You can hire someone who doesn’t have all the technical skills but is willing to put in the time and the effort to learn and grow as an employee, give me that person any day over someone who has experience.
Q: Is Penco Electrical currently hiring, and if so, what kind of jobs?
A: As an industry, construction nationwide is experiencing a lot of growth, and we don’t have enough workers to fill our needs. Absolutely, I’m hiring. We are hiring from the ground up. Whether it’s a kid straight out of high school who doesn’t necessarily want to go to college but is looking for an avenue or trade, all the way up to a foreman.
Q: What are you most excited about for the growth of this industry and its future?
A: There is a lot of new technology, such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), that is combining what I do with a mechanical contractor with a plumber, and they’re putting it all in 3D where you can visualize what the structure is going to look like. It’s the technology and the collaboration that’s really going to have a major impact on our industry and how we approach building a building.
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