Mid-Del Technology Center’s relaunches electrician apprenticeship

Registration deadline is Aug. 2

By Valerie Scott
Midwest City Beacon

The Mid-Del Technology Center is relaunching its electrician apprenticeship program. Enrollment is open for the 18-week program. Classes start on Aug. 2 and end on Dec. 8 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The total cost of enrollment is $769.

The classes will include basic training on residential wiring. Apprentices will learn code requirements and wiring design for electrical installation through hands-on workshops. Students will gain practical experience in receptacles, switches, lights, and other device installations.

Abbey Charlow, the Director of Business Development and Training at Mid-Del Technology Center shared a look into the program and what will be offered.

“Students will be focusing on residential wiring. All of our lessons are within the classroom,” said Charlow. “However, they will receive hands-on learning. We do have a certain amount of safety and theory that we must cover but they will mainly focus on direct, hands-on workshops that will provide an accurate depiction of what they will experience once out in the field.”

The Mid-Del Technology Center has hosted something similar in the past.

“This is our first year having the electrician program set up in this manner. Mid-Del Tech Center offered a full-time electricity program until 2015 when budget constraints forced its closure. So essentially, this is a relaunch for the program,” said Charlow

The demand for electricians is on the rise in Oklahoma.

“We decided to relaunch this program due to the electricians being on the list for In Demand Occupations published by the Central Oklahoma Workforce. Electricians and Plumbers are on the Most Critical Occupations List, as well as Aircraft Structure Technologies which is another evening class we offer,” said Charlow.

The Mid-Del Technology Center also offers a 250-hour plumbing course for $950 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. It runs from Aug. 2 until Dec. 13.

Charlow also shared that she is working on providing a Second Chance program through the electrical program. They offer an Aircraft Structural Technologies course which qualifies graduates for Tinker’s Aircraft Structural Maintenance position.

“I’m currently meeting with representatives from COWIB(Central Oklahoma Workforce Innovation Board) and other state agencies to get these programs approved for agency funding. All of our evening programs would be open to Second Chance candidates who are re-entering the workforce after involvement with the criminal justice system.”

Be sure to enroll before the cut-off date on Tuesday, August 2. For more information call (405)-739-1712 and visit their website at MidDelTech.com to enroll.

“MDTC is excited about this opportunity to serve our community and meet local workforce needs,” said Charlow.