IEC Announces Winners of 2017 Apprentice of the Year Competition

ALEXANDRIA, Va., November 9, 2017 (Newswire.com) - Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) honored and showcased the abilities of its top electrical apprentices from across the country in a series of six competitive challenges at IECCon17 in Phoenix, Arizona, on Oct. 25–28. The 2017 IEC National Apprentice of the Year Competition's premier sponsor is Milwaukee Tool. 

"We're excited to have had this opportunity to show our support for the apprenticeship model in this intense competition among the nation's best apprentices," said Spenser Villwock, IEC National CEO. "We tested the essential skills to their livelihood and success as an electrical contractor."

The Competition

Contestants needed to demonstrate their electrical expertise across six categories: Motor Control, Written Exam, Ladder Diagram, Troubleshooting, Conduit Bending, and Productivity Challenge. The goal of this intense competition is to test the core competencies all journeymen electricians should have to have a successful future within the industry.

The top 25 apprentices from IEC chapters with the best scores in their program embarked to Phoenix to compete against one another. Each competitor also received a series of tools from Milwaukee, along with other industry partner prize donations. The top three apprentices received a total of $6,000 in gift cards from The Home Depot, the premier IECCon17 sponsor.

"We truly believe being involved with the apprentices and training centers is one of the most important aspects of our partnership with IEC," said Lindsey Miller, Milwaukee Tool national account manager. "To be able to support and interact with this year’s outstanding apprentices was an honor. They’ve all worked incredibly hard to make it to this competition. Congratulations to all the participants! "

2017 IEC National Apprentice of the Year Winners

Category: Overall Performance

• 1st place: Matt Doth, BizCom Electric, IEC of Greater Cincinnati
• 2nd place: Hunter Bakel; JMEG, LP; IEC San Antonio
• 3rd place: Kelly Sustaire; JMEG, LP; IEC Fort Worth/Tarrant County

Category: Individual Competitions

• Motor Control: Hunter Bakel, JMEG, LP, IEC San Antonio
• Written Exam: Gabriel DiGiacomo, Namaste Solar, IEC Rocky Mountain
• Ladder Diagram: Hunter Bakel, JMEG, LP, IEC San Antonio
• Conduit Bending: Vladimir Zhuk, AC&E Electric, IEC Oregon
• Troubleshooting Activity: Vladimir Zhuk, AC&E Electric, IEC Oregon
• Productivity Challenge: Matt Doth, BizCom Electric, IEC of Greater Cincinnati

Congratulations to the 2017 IEC National Apprentice of the Year Matt Doth and all of our fantastic competitors. They are the future stars of the electrical contracting industry.

The competition will return next year at the 2018 IEC Convention & Expo in Indianapolis, IN, on September 19–22, 2018.

For more information on the Apprentice of the Year Competition and IEC Nationals other award recipients, please visit www.ieccon.org. For photos of this year's competitions, please visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/iec.national.

About IEC
IEC is an association of over 50 affiliates and training campuses, representing over 3,300 member businesses nationwide. Its purpose is to establish a competitive environment for the merit shop — a philosophy that promotes free enterprise, open competition, and economic opportunity for all. IEC’s world-class apprenticeship programs operate under standards approved by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Apprenticeship and provide up to 40 hours of post-secondary college credit. Collectively, IEC trains more than 10,500 electrical apprentices each year. Learn more about IEC and its apprenticeship programs at www.ieci.org and www.myelectriccareer.com.

Source: Independent Electrical Contractors