July 28, 2014 – Created in 1941 by the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA in the U.S.) and IBEW to develop and standardize training for their members, the National Joint Apprenticeship & Training Committee (NJATC) is transitioning its identity to Electrical Training Alliance.

“Today we have over 300 joint apprenticeship training centres in the United States and Canada, over 100 electrical industry organizations and manufacturers and dozens of public and private organizations that are united by, and committed to, training the next generation of electrical workers,” said Michael Callanan, NJATC executive director.

NJATC director of operations Mark Cerulla explained the three primary drivers for transitioning from NJATC to Electrical Training Alliance:

• New name better reflects the reality of our operation and the way we do business.
• Over the past 10 years, NJATC, IBEW and NECA have been in the process of transforming our apprenticeship model
• Our new name and restructured organization will better allow us to meet the needs of the electrical industry and our customers.

“The NJATC as we know it will not disappear but will become a part of the Electrical Training Alliance,” added Callanan, adding that he sees the NJATC “perhaps transitioning into a Foundation that supports the greater mission of the new Electrical Training Alliance”.