Workforce Pulse

Submitted by Michelle Dreier, Director of Member Engagement & Government Affairs

This month’s workforce snapshot paints an encouraging but important picture: we continue to see growth in journeyworker-level licensure, signaling that more individuals are successfully moving through apprenticeship and advancing into the field. That’s a healthy sign for employers who need skilled talent ready to step onto a jobsite.

At the same time, we’re watching a softening in early pipeline numbers, including unlicensed and entry-level registrations. While not alarming on its own, it’s a reminder that awareness and access at the beginning of the electrician journey matter, and that strong outreach today supports the journeyworkers and masters of tomorrow.

From the Field: This Month in Workforce

The Electrical Association team brought the industry into classrooms, workforce centers, and statewide educator spaces, putting real faces and stories behind the career pathway.

Highlights from November:

• Visited Goodwill Easter Seals’ new Energy Park facility, expanding collaboration into three workforce readiness programs including Clean Tech & YouthBuild
• Advised Spring Lake Park High School on electrician career counseling materials
• Participated in DEED’s Indigenized Employer initiative to support Native workforce inclusion
• Provided mock interviews at Summit Academy, helping students prepare for real jobs
• Represented EA at the two-day CTE Works! Summit with 300 CTE instructors
• Connected with Best Prep and helped reconnect them with Project Build MN
• Spoke to multiple classrooms and tabled at Buffalo High School Career Day
• Met with the Center for Energy & Environment on clean energy collaboration opportunities
• Scheduled December presence at Columbia Heights HS, a Veterans Career Fair, GWES YouthBuild, and St. Cloud Tech advisory committee

Every one of these moments is a seed, sparking curiosity, opening pathways, and helping students (and adults) imagine themselves in the trade.

What This Means for Our Industry

We are producing skilled electricians, that part is working. Now, we need to keep the front of the pipeline full as well as retain the apprentices we’re currently training.

As clean energy grows, infrastructure expands, and retirements increase, Minnesota will rely on a steady flow of new electricians to meet demand. The work that the EA team is doing right now helps ensure that momentum continues…classroom by classroom, student by student.

How Members Can Help This Month

Small actions from employers make a huge difference:

• Offer a job shadow
• Bring on an unlicensed worker or PLT trainee
• Say yes to a school speaking request
• Provide a shop tour
• Share job openings with us

If you are open to volunteering and bringing new talent into the industry, reach out so we can learn about your goals and align them with opportunities we are already engaged in. We frequently receive requests and we can’t be in multiple places at the same time. Can we put your name on a speakers bureau list so we can reach out when these unfilled opportunities arise?

Listen to our recent podcast "Man Up Club." Our host, Mike Miller, sits down with Mariaha Dean to discuss how The Man Up Club empowers young Black males through mentorship, brotherhood, and honest conversations about life’s challenges—helping them build confidence and prepare for college, trade school, and life beyond high school. Learn more about this organization.