Electrician program now available at SJVC’s Temecula campus

There is a shortage of skilled electricians in California, and SJVC is committed to filling that need by training technicians through its electrician program. We’re pleased to announce that the electrician program is now enrolling students at the Temecula campus.

“We have a shortage of electricians, for two important reasons,” says Jim DeBerry, Division Manager at the program’s Ontario campus. “Our country’s infrastructure hasn’t been updated since the 1950s, and there aren’t enough tradesmen to make the needed repairs and reconstruction. In the past, the U.S. focused on educating doctors, lawyers and computer technicians, and people forgot about how to get things built.”

The second push comes from the sheer impact of aggressive population growth. “That means more homes and businesses are being built; manufacturing and warehouse environments are expanding,” says DeBerry. “Employment opportunities are high and construction jobs are in greatest demand. I’ve got friends (builders) turning work away because they can’t find enough skilled workers.”

SJVC’s Electrical Technology program model provides students with education and training to work in industrial, commercial and residential environments, performing such tasks as reading blueprints, running wire, placing hardware, troubleshooting and diagnosing problems, and working with computers and computer programming through Programmable Logic Controls (PLC). Students in the Electrical Tech program can earn a certificate in about 40 weeks. Graduates leave SJVC with OSHA 30 certification and are prepared to sit for the Journeyman’s test.

The income potential for an electrician is very competitive and trends higher than other trade craft jobs, such as plumbers, welders and general construction. In California, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows an annual mean wage of $69,000 for electricians (reported from May 2017). Job security is tied to predicted long-term growth in the construction business, ongoing maintenance and repair needs and population expansion. “The BLS says we should expect approximately 59,000 job openings (electrician) with a 9% growth rate in the U.S. over the next couple of years,” says DeBerry.

Another factor that could enhance the employment picture is the ongoing development and manufacturing of electric cars. “Electric cars are on the rise,” says DeBerry. “Manufacturers realize that fuel oils are going away, so everybody is putting out electric cars now. Building the cars and providing energy for the cars means that we will need electricians. The L.A. Times newspaper reported that California Governor Jerry Brown wants to put 5 million electric cars on the state’s road by 2030.”

The new Electrical Technology program will be offered in the evening at the Temecula campus, making it ideal for those who currently work during the day.

Request more information now or call the Temecula campus at (951) 296-6015 to speak to an admissions advisor.

*The Electrical Technology program on the Temecula campus is new and pending laboratory site approval from the Electrician Certification Curriculum Committee with the State of California, Department of Industrial Relations.