The new training facility underwritten by IBEW Local 58 and National Electrical Contractors Association-Southeastern Michigan is open for business.

The 51,000 square-foot building along the I-696 service drive in Warren opened its doors on Nov. 6, just over a year from when ground was broken on the project. The facility is five times the size of the previous 33-year-old training center in Fraser.

"This building is a showcase for electrical worker training, and it's really a building in which our members and our contractors can be proud," said Local 58 Business Manager Jeff Radjewski. "Every member has made an investment in it. This building gives us the space to take on whatever training needs our contractors may have now or in the future."

The single-level brick structure is one of the top three or four largest electrical worker training centers in the nation. The building houses offices for the local's trust funds, and has space for 14 classrooms, including three large shops, a large and a small conference room, and numerous bright, open common areas.

Training Director Mike Hogan said additional space is the most important feature of the new building. Seven full-time instructors work in the building, and now they have the classroom space to serve the needs of apprentices and journeymen without having to rely on evening courses. More than 1,000 apprentices are currently in the local's apprenticeship program.

The curriculum includes everything the industry has to offer, from electrical theory to programmable logic controls. The new building will provide much-needed space for a new line of courses in the industry's burgeoning telecommunications industry. It will also facilitate the old art of conduit bending - long sections of pipe could not be bent in the old location because of the low ceiling height.

A.J. Etkin acted as general contractor on the project, which incorporated as much American-made material as possible. In fact, last week, some lighting fixture ballasts were awaiting a changeout because they were made in Mexico.

"This building is a great organizing tool, in that it shows the rest of the electrical industry just how committed we are to the industry," Hogan said. "This building is far superior to anything the nonunion has to offer."

Southeast Michigan Chapter NECA Executive Director Dan Tripp said the Associated Builders and Contractors spent $300,000 nationwide to implement their "Wheels of Learning," program, "while we spent $8 million on this building alone. This shows the organized electrical industry is making a real commitment to the future of our industry, and we're not using a nickel of government money." 

IN FRONT of the new IBEW Local 58/NECA Training Center are (l-r) Local 58 President Joe Abdoo, Training Director Mike Hogan and Business Manager Jeff Radjewski.