SEMCA Graduates Largest Class of Apprentices
It seems like every day there is an article, news segment, or social media post lamenting about the need for skilled labor to meet the growing demand in the construction industry. At the Southeast Michigan Construction Academy (SEMCA), we have been providing a solution to this problem for over 30 years. Each year SEMCA produces a pipeline of qualified tradespeople taught by masters in their craft for the jobs available in the workplace.
This year was no different. On April 17, the Class of 2019 walked across the stage to receive their Certificate of Completion from our Department of Labor registered apprenticeship program. During the past four years, this group of dedicated electrical students not only went to school in the evening, but worked in their selected trade during the day. This means that for many the day started at 6am and did end until well after 9pm.
While the course work was challenging and the schedule was rigorous, the students graduating are gainfully employed with salary expectations well above the average for a recent college graduate. For electrical students, the earning and leadership potential does not stop at graduation. These students have just completed a major part of the State of Michigan requirement to sit for the Journeyman Electrician Examination. The SEMCA instructors have delivered both curriculum and a free intensive preparation course to successfully pass this milestone.
The future is bright at SEMCA, over the next few years we expect our graduating class to double in size with craftsmen and women receiving credentials for the electrical, carpentry, HVAC, and sheet metal trades. The next time you hear about the growing skills gap in the construction industry, consider the graduates and students of SEMCA. Share our mission with your community, what was once a little-known training program has developed into one of the largest apprenticeship programs in the State of Michigan. SEMCA will continue to be a force in the workforce development space to ensure that our future of the construction industry is skilled, motivated, and safety conscious.
