Skilled Trades

An increase in national infrastructure spending could end up being a benefit for laborers in the skilled trades needed to complete upgrades. In the coming years, much of the nation’s infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, buildings and other structures, will require some degree of repair or flat-out replacement.

Electrical Construction and Planning

For the electrical components of government infrastructure projects, there is detailed planning that needs to take place before any work can begin. This is where professionals who are trained in electrical construction and planning come into play. Their knowledge and ability go a long way toward ensuring the infrastructure project, be it a road, bridge, interstate or other, is executed in a way that is structurally sound and poses the lowest degree of danger for the electricians doing the installing.

Electrical Construction and Planning programs offered at vocational schools tend to take about a year and a half to complete. Many electricians enter the workforce as apprentices either through a union or independently. In apprenticeships, newly minted electricians emphasizing in planning learn the finer points of the profession from journeymen who have been plugging away for years. Apprenticeships help aspiring electricians master the trade and expand on their educational foundations they built in their respective training programs.

Electrical Construction and Maintenance

The contributions to be made by electricians specializing in construction and maintenance cover an array of projects and settings. From tollways to government buildings and even street lighting, electricians will play an important role in the renovation of America’s infrastructure. The increased use and financial possibility of solar panels and other alternative power sources will also warrant more work, as electricians will be needed to install and maintain those electrical components.

Among the many settings in which electricians worked in May 2016, those who worked for or with the government earned the highest median salaries, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). While only 4 percent of electricians worked directly for the government in 2016, an uptick in infrastructure spending and the execution of projects funded by those expenditures would certainly cause that number to increase, if not result in contracts with the more than 70 percent of electricians who do contract work or are self-employed.

The BLS also notes that the “employment of electricians fluctuates with the overall economy,” and that there is “greater demand for electricians during peak periods of building construction and maintenance.” This is all to say that an increase in infrastructure spending would contribute positively to the growth of the electrician workforce and that the expected infrastructure work to be done across the country in the coming years contributes to the projected 9 percent increase in employment through 2026, as anticipated by the BLS.  

Electrician programs featuring an emphasis in maintenance tend to be shorter in length than their planning-focused counterparts. Coyne College offers electrician programs where you’ll get the hands-on electrical training and individualized instruction you need to prepare for a career as an electrician. 

Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration

Heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (otherwise referred to as HVAC) technicians are skilled trade workers who handle the installation and upkeep of heating and cooling systems within buildings and other architectural structures. Similarly to electricians, HVAC technicians will play an integral role in the construction of new government buildings, such as libraries, civic centers and others, in addition to the sustained function of the heating and cooling systems in longstanding government facilities.

Also like electricians, Coyne College has an HVAC technician training program that is less than a year in length but provides students with the base of knowledge and technical skills they need to gain entry-level employment. For yet another similarity to electricians, HVAC technicians enjoy a prosperous job outlook (15 percent growth through 2026, according to the BLS) that is expected to be predicated on an increase in construction, of which infrastructure is a part. 

Construct Your Career with a Quality Education

Now that you know how to embark on your journey toward becoming a skilled tradesman or tradeswoman, all that is left for you to do is to enroll in a quality training programs that meets your individual needs.

Coyne College is one of Chicago’s top skilled trade education institutions and is proud to offer three construction-based skilled trades: electrical construction and planning, electrical construction and maintenance, and HVAC.

Coyne College offers day and night classes for all programs to accommodate your busy schedule. The programs are offered at the Coyne College campus, located in the heart of the Chicago Loop at the intersection of State and Madison Streets.

The course content of the electrical construction and planning program’s curriculum is more in-depth than that of the electrical construction and maintenance program and can be completed in as few as 78 weeks. The electrical construction and maintenance program, on the other hand, also prepares you to enter the field, but can be finished in 42 to 56 weeks, depending on whether you opt to take day or night classes. Additionally, Coyne’s HVAC program can be completed in as few as 42 weeks. As a student in either of Coyne College’s electrical programs, you will be submerged in an array of classes relevant to your chosen field.

You will learn the ins and outs of the electrician or HVAC trades in a setting that focuses on your individual success and be taught by Coyne’s highly knowledgeable instructors who have years of real-world experience under their belts. Hands-on learning is a significant part of the program, and understandably so, but it is also mixed with theoretical components so students learn why they are doing what they are doing.

Following the completion of your Associate’s degree or diploma program, you will be ready to enter your chosen field. Most Coyne grads enter the field as non-union apprentices, maintenance electricians, maintenance mechanics, and electrical technicians. Worried about finding a job or apprenticeship that will suit you? Don’t sweat it. Coyne College offers an array of career services and job placement help for its students.

With more than 110 years of experience in helping aspiring electricians and HVAC technicians realize their dreams, Coyne College has a well-developed network of resources to help students land apprenticeships at the conclusion of their studies. 

Coyne College also offers its students career assistance, including mock interviews, externships and resume help. These resources can help students secure apprenticeships after completing the program. Students who enroll at Coyne College receive a well-rounded, first-rate education that provides them with the tools to succeed in the workforce as a skilled trade professional.

Start your skilled trade career today at CoyneCollege.Edu.