ROCKFORD, Ill., Nov. 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Industry experts estimate the U.S. needs 500,000 electricians to fulfill the growing construction demands. To alleviate the skills gap, Emerson's (NYSE: EMR) Greenlee businessis working with electrical contractor FSG to integrate GreenApple Labs curriculum into its free training program. FSG recently opened its Dallas, San Antonio and Austin locations, where more than 150 students attended the event to advance their trade career.

"GreenApple Labs is a natural fit with our program," said Cory Bruner, director of risk management for FSG. "The partnership brings a professional classroom setting into an FSG training site, giving the apprentice the ability to learn how to use a tool in the classroom and then apply the technique to their on-the-job learning opportunity."

"We are proud to partner with FSG and others to inspire and train people who want to pursue a career in the trades," said Paul McAndrew, vice president and general manager of Greenlee, Emerson. "GreenApple Labs is about providing training to students in the classroom ensuring they are ready to work when they arrive on the job."

GreenApple Labs

GreenApple Labs was created and introduced to all students to develop key trade profession competencies with equipment they will use as employees on the jobsite. Greenlee developed a series of standardized competency-based, hands-on modules that provide key skill sets required by employers as they enter the workforce. In partnership with the National Coalition of Certification Centers (NC3), students that successfully complete courses in the five core electrical trade categories: bending, cutting and termination, fishing and pulling, test and measurement, and wire pathways, are awarded a certificate signifying their knowledge and hands-on competency. Completed certificates meet Industry Based Credentials (IBC) requirements, which are recognized by the local, state and several national certifying entities (BICSI, ETA-I). The hands-on program includes a series of training modules that not only educates students on new technology that an electrician may need to know but reinforces fundamental skillsets while in the controlled environment of a classroom.

People interested in learning more about GreenApple Labs need to connect with Steve Lehr, director, vocational education business development at steven.lehr@emerson.com; learn more about GreenApple Labs at greenlee.com/green-apple-labs.

FSG Training

Currently, 200 students are enrolled in FSG's program. Instructor-led courses utilize training from GreenApple Labs, the National Center for Construction Education and Research, and on-the-job training. Apprentice programs consist of four levels of electrical training through the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) and help fulfill the necessary hours of on-the-job experience. Apprentice opportunities are offered at nine FSG locations, including: Austin, Dallas, El Paso, San Antonio, Chicago, Indianapolis, Southern California, and New York. Individuals interested in learning more about the FSG apprentice training program should visit www1.fsgi.com/careers/training.

Emerson's Professional Tools businesses include Greenlee as well as the RIDGID and Klauke brands and provides the industry's broadest portfolio of advanced, reliable tools and technologies for the mechanical, electrical and plumbing trades globally. Visit emerson.com/professionaltools for more information.

About EmersonEmerson (NYSE: EMR), headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri (USA), is a global technology and engineering company providing innovative solutions for customers in industrial, commercial, and residential markets.Our Automation Solutions business helps process, hybrid, and discrete manufacturers maximize production, protect personnel and the environment while optimizing their energy and operating costs.Our Commercial and Residential Solutions business helps ensure human comfort and health, protect food quality and safety, advance energy efficiency, and create sustainable infrastructure.For more information visit Emerson.com.

About FSGFSG is a registered trademark of Facility Solutions Group and the company is one of the nation's largest providers of cost-effective, comprehensive solutions to lighting, electrical, technology and signage problems. Established in 1982 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, FSG offers customers time and money-saving advantages of a single-source provider, designing, fabricating, installing, supporting, and servicing turnkey solutions that lower ownership costs both now and throughout the solution's usable life. For more information on FSG, please visit www1.fsgi.com.

Greenlee Tools, Inc. 2019

For more information, contact:Agency Contact: Liz Dorland 402.437.6066 lizd@swansonrussell.comGreenlee Corporate Contact: Michael Farris 815.312.6839 Michael.Farris@emerson.comFSG Corporate Contact: Cory Bruner 512.440.7985 ext. 12160 cory.bruner@fsgi.com

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Emerson Partners with FSG to Deliver GreenApple(TM) Labs Training from Greenlee to Help Solve the Skills Shortage - MDJOnline.com

2019 IDEAL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP WINNER

Australian Tom Matic upsets three-time U.S. professional champion Greg Anliker in first-ever international competition at 2019 IDEAL National Championship

IDEAL INDUSTRIES, INC.

SYCAMORE, Ill., Nov. 21, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IDEAL Electrical concluded its fourth annual IDEAL National Championship by crowning the first-ever International Champion on November 9 at Disneys Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Tom Matic from Melbourne, Australia took home the title of Worlds Best Electrician and a brand new RAM 1500 Pickup Truck after competing against professional electricians from the U.S., Canada and China in an intense hour-long competition that required the competitors to complete four challenges one reflecting each countrys unique electrical installation methods.

The inaugural international competition took place following three days of competition including Professional, Student/Apprentice, Contractor and School Challenge categories. Friends and family filled the arena to cheer on the 162 competitors from across the U.S. and Canada, as well as the professional national champions from Australia and China. Mexicos champion attended as a guest this year but Mexico plans to compete in the 2020 Championship Weekend.

IDEAL National Championship Honors Electrical Trade Community

Four years ago, IDEAL Electrical established the IDEAL National (U.S.) Championship to showcase the skills and professionalism of todays electricians. With the U.S. facing a significant shortage of electricians in the next few years (U.S. Labor Department reporting 60,000 by 2026), we wanted to find a way to honor the trade community and help attract young men and women into satisfying careers as electricians and contractors, said Doug Sanford, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Non-Lighting Businesses, IDEAL INDUSTRIES, INC.

I think we have an opportunity, and a responsibility, to powerfully demonstrate how pivotal this skilled trade is to powering and connecting the rest of us in virtually every element of our lives. Without electricians, technologies dont move forward. Buildings dont fully function. Homes dont meet expectations.

Road to Championship Weekend

This year, more than 58,000 electricians, students and apprentices competed in over 1,500 Qualifying Round events in 5 countries from March 4 October 4, 2019. During these events, competitors needed to demonstrate both their problem-solving and physical skills around cutting, stripping, crimping, terminating and more using IDEAL tools through a challenge judged by workmanship, safety and time.

This year, the team competitions were transformed into School and Contractor Challenges with the goal of honoring School and Contractors important contributions to the trade as well as showcasing the talent each brings to the table. There were new prizes designated specifically for them, including a RAM ProMaster Commercial Van w/ Custom Company Graphics, scholarships and IDEALcash. The team competitions are always an exciting part of the weekend, said Sanford. You get to see team members play off of each others strengths and really shine when under pressure.

2019 IDEAL National Championship Winners & Prizes

Every year, we see the competition taken to another level, said Sanford. Both Professionals and Students/Apprentices came to this years Championship Weekend ready to demonstrate the workmanship and proficiency it takes to be a world-class electrician.

Reigning two-time Professional Individual Champion and two-time Professional Team Champion, Greg Anliker, proved he was still at the top of his game, taking home his third Professional Individual Champion title and $75,000. Jordan Finfrock from Flatwoods, KY took the top spot in the Student/Apprentice Individual category with a prize of $30,000.

Kellenberger Electrics Clay Noga and Keith Runkle (Kellenberger 2) took home first place for the Contractor Challenge. The two teammates split the $40,000 prize money, in addition to $20,000 in IDEALcash & the RAM ProMaster Commercial Van w/ Custom Company Graphics and a local marketing support package.

Minneapolis JATCs Angela Bissonnette-Penna and Jacob Thoennes earned first place in the North American School Challenge. Angela, the only female competitor to place in this years event, and Jacob split $20,000 prize and also took home $10,000 in IDEALcash for their school, five first-year scholarships and five complete tool kits for scholarship winners.

The full list of winners and prizes is as follows:

International Professional Competition

North American Professionals participating as an individual:

North American Contractor Challenge:

North American Students/Apprentices participating as an individual:

North American School Challenge:

At the end of the weekend, IDEAL announced the 2020 Championship Weekend will be held at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

To register for a 2020 qualifying round competition near you, visit IDEALnationals.com. Qualifying rounds will begin in Spring 2020. For photos and videos from this years competition, visit our Facebook page atfacebook.com/IDEALindustries.

About IDEAL ELECTRICAL IDEAL ELECTRICAL is a company of IDEAL INDUSTRIES, INC. IDEAL is a global leader in electrical tools and wire termination, as well as the development, manufacturing and marketing of enhanced energy management systems, products and technologies for professional electricians, design engineers and facilities executives. To learn more, visit IDEALind.com.

About IDEAL INDUSTRIES, INC.IDEAL INDUSTRIES, INC. is a global, diversified family-owned business designing and manufacturing superior products and tools for professional tradesmen in the electrical, wire processing, data communications, aerospace, automotive and construction industries. The 103-year old company was founded in 1916 on the premise of forging ideal relationships with customers, employees, partners and communities. The company has consistently grown and expanded under four generations of family ownership. To learn more, visit IDEALINDUSTRIES.com.

MEDIA CONTACTPaige Robinsonprobinson@sccadv.com312.222.7449

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/29378de1-b4d3-47f4-a89b-4720f3be83a7

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Australian Tom Matic Upsets Three-Time US Professional Champion Greg Anliker in First-Ever International Competition at 2019 IDEAL National...

Two former recruiters have been charged with engaging in unlawful sexual acts with future sailors, according to charge sheets released to Navy Times.

The Navy takes these issues very seriously and categorically does not condone the alleged behavior; that behavior simply has no place in our military or society, and it does not comport with our core values, Cmdr. Lara Bollinger, spokeswoman for Navy Recruiting Command, said.

Our recruiters are required to uphold the highest standards. Navy Recruiting Command takes any allegation of recruiter sexual misconduct seriously and ensures that each allegation is fully investigated. If an allegation is substantiated, Navy Recruiting Command takes all appropriate measures to hold the responsible sailor accountable.

Chief Gas Turbine Systems Mechanic Rondell L. Bethelmy, 40, is charged with two counts of failing to obey a lawful general order.

According to charge sheets, Bethelmy engaged in sexual activities with and sent sexually explicit photos to a recruit in Aurora, Colorado, in April 2017.

The victims name, a current sailor, is redacted on charge sheets obtained by Navy Times.

Bethelmy is currently assigned to the guided-missile destroyer Nitze, which is homeported at Naval Station Norfolk.

His special court martial trial is scheduled to begin there on Nov. 21.

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GSMC Bethelmy is a 19-year Navy veteran with an outstanding service record, said his civilian defense attorney, Brian Pristera, in a Tuesday email to Navy Times. "The Government and the Defense have found an agreeable disposition to resolve this case in a manner commensurate with the seriousness of the offenses.

According to a Navy biography, Bethelmy enlisted in September 2000 and was assigned to the Denver-based Navy Talent Acquisition Group-Rocky Mountain from September 2014 through January 2018.

Bethelmys trial comes amid the case of another sailor also accused of a similar crime.

Investigators suspect Interior Communications Electrician 1st Class Jammar Starks engaged in sex acts with a future sailor attached to Navy Recruiting District Dallas while in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in March 2015, according to charge sheets.

He also faces a charge that he violated a general order.

Bollinger confirmed that Starks and Bethelmy had served as recruiters at the time of the alleged incidents.

Cmdr. Jennifer Cragg, a spokeswoman for Naval Air Force Atlantic, said Starks case has been continued with no trial date currently scheduled.

Starks enlisted in February 2008 and was assigned to the Dallas recruiting district from May 2014 through May 2017, according to a Navy biography. He has been assigned to the Norfolk-based aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman since August 2017.

He didnt return messages from Navy Times.

Navy Times editors note: This story has been updated with a statement from attorney Brian Pristera. The headline also has been changed to better reflect the charges against both defendants.

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Navy chief, first class, accused of unlawful acts with recruits - NavyTimes.com

When you hear about the soprano Lise Davidsen, you might find yourself questioning the facts. Could someone who didnt even see an opera until she was in her 20s really be making her Metropolitan Opera debut at 32? Surely she hasnt been singing opera for only a decade?

But its true. Ms. Davidsen who stars in Tchaikovskys The Queen of Spades at the Met beginning Nov. 29 and will be a fixture there in the coming seasons is the rare newcomer to opera who has not only caught up to the field but dashed to its forefront, sweeping contests and gaining a reputation as the great Wagnerian promise of her generation.

Its a one-in-a-million voice, the conductor Antonio Pappano said in an interview. Esa-Pekka Salonen, who led the Philharmonia Orchestra on Ms. Davidsens recent debut album, is convinced that shes going to go very, very far. Peter Gelb, the Mets general manager, described her as being in a league of her own.

Such high praise is difficult for Ms. Davidsen to contemplate, since just 10 years ago, on a visit to New York, she posed for a photo outside the Met almost as a joke, thinking she would never perform there (and lacking the money for a ticket).

Of course I was hoping, she recalled in a recent interview at the opera house, but I never thought it would happen.

It happened, and The Queen of Spades is just the beginning. The Met acted quickly to cast her as Leonore in Fidelio, Chrysothemis in Elektra, Ariadne in Ariadne auf Naxos, Eva in Die Meistersinger von Nrnberg and the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier.

And thats in the next three seasons.

The Met wasnt anywhere near Ms. Davidsens radar as she grew up in small-town Norway, where the nearest major opera house was almost two hours away by train. The daughter of an electrician and a health care worker, she played handball and sang in community choirs and annual Christmas shows. Then, as a teenager, she began to take guitar lessons, with the distant dream of becoming a singer-songwriter.

She did follow her ambition to Bergen, where she studied voice at the Grieg Academy but not opera, which Ms. Davidsen said was so far away not because of the music, but because the whole idea of being onstage was too scary. She preferred to sing Bach and Handel. By the time she graduated, in 2010, and arrived at the Royal Opera Academy in Copenhagen for her masters degree, Ms. Davidsen had decided that she was a mezzo-soprano, and she would sing Baroque music.

Her teacher disagreed. She turned my life upside down, Ms. Davidsen said. At our first meeting, she said, No youre not a mezzo, youre a soprano, and you should be doing opera.

For a young singer, news like this can set off an identity crisis. As students, you are so unsure about everything, so what you can hold on to, you hold on to with everything you have, Ms. Davidsen said. My whole plan was sort of settled. So how was I just going to become a soprano, how was I going to learn a whole new repertoire?

But she convinced herself that being good was the only thing that mattered. And her education truly began: She saw her first opera, Strausss Der Rosenkavalier, and was overwhelmed by its beauty and intensity. She listened to recordings of the great sopranos, like Jessye Norman, Kirsten Flagstad and Birgit Nilsson. She experimented with singing Dich, teure Halle from Wagners Tannhuser, even though her voices lightness at the time was better suited to Mozart.

I have always felt like the one who doesnt know anything, the one who isnt good enough, she said. I was constantly afraid, and in a way that made me work so hard, that I could be where I am today.

Ms. Davidsen had originally wanted to become a singer-songwriter to describe and communicate her feelings. And now the stage, and opera, was where I could find that communication, she said. This feeling that it can go straight to your core there isnt really anything else that can do that. I realized that this is what I need to do.

Finished with school, several years into her life as an operatic soprano and with some professional work that showed signs of promise for a viable life as a singer, Ms. Davidsen began to enter competitions. And in 2015, with Dich, teure Halle as her showpiece, honors came in rapid succession, including the top prize at Operalia.

Attention came suddenly. Europes top opera houses all wanted to book her, journalists wanted to interview her, congratulations flooded in from friends and family. It was all good, Ms. Davidsen said, but too much of anything can be overwhelming.

After Operalia, she tried to take a break with her boyfriend in Paris. I couldnt go anywhere, she recalled. Whatever he proposed, I started crying. This still happens every now and then: Ms. Davidsen calls it hitting a little wall, which can be cured by a good cry, an hour at the gym, or watching Sex and the City for the 150th time so I can scroll Instagram.

With a penetrating voice and a height of over six feet, she commands a stage with ease. Mr. Pappano recalled a rehearsal in London for Wagners Ring: When she opened her mouth, we were all stunned. The voice has a light in it. Mr. Salonen has a similar story from inside the studio for her Decca album, which contains two selections from Tannhuser as well as Strauss selections, including his Four Last Songs.

When she sang the first phrase of the Tannhuser, he said, the orchestra kind of collectively dropped their jaws: Did that sound really come out of a person?

Opera is always difficult to capture in recording, and Ms. Davidsens album isnt the best introduction to her immense dynamic range. So the consistent quiet of Elisabeths prayer from Tannhuser, for example, comes off better than the peaks and valleys of Dich, teure Halle. What little criticism she received, though, was mostly reserved for her choice to program, somewhat precociously, the autumnal Four Last Songs.

It pisses me off a little bit that you have to be a certain age to feel certain feelings, Ms. Davidsen said. Teenagers have all those feelings, and more, in a day. If someone at the age of 80 says, I dont want to hear Lise do those songs because shes too young, well, fine: Then you can find another recording, because there are so many beautiful ones.

But I do believe that Im entitled to take on these feelings, to take on the difficulties in life, she continued. Thats our job in opera, and thats the same with the Four Last Songs. I really hope that if I keep on singing, I get to record them again in 15 or 20 years.

By then, if Ms. Davidsen continues at her current pace with no less determination than when she was in school, yet with the restraint not to take on new roles before shes ready she will have conquered large swaths of Wagner, a personal favorite. She has already sung minor parts in the Ring and the rarity Das Liebesverbot.

Elisabeth in Tannhuser has become one of her signatures; its how she made an awe-inspiring debut at the Bayreuth Festival in Germany this summer. She wowed even Katharina Wagner, the festivals artistic director and the composers great-granddaughter, who said in an email that Ms. Davidsen is ideal for Bayreuth.

She has a unique carrying voice, Ms. Wagner said. Even the quietest and finest piano of her voice can be heard in every corner of the auditorium, and every forte floods the audience. It is also obvious that even more important vocal parts than Elisabeth will come in future. (Indeed, Ms. Davidsen will be back next summer as Sieglinde in Die Walkre.)

During a rehearsal last week, Ms. Davidsen sang onstage at the Met for the first time, with an electricity that left many in the theater speechless. This is a major artistic event, Mr. Gelb said afterward. Its always awkward to raise peoples expectations, but in this case I dont have any qualms. Ultimately, shes going to be the next great Brnnhilde.

If Ms. Davidsen has the sound and presence of a diva in the making, she doesnt have any of the haughtiness thats thought to come with it. Mr. Pappano, who will reunite with her for Fidelio at the Royal Opera House in London next spring, described her as extremely observant and analytical in rehearsals; at the Met, she has been solemnly receptive to notes from the conductor, Vasily Petrenko, and friendly with fellow cast members. After a chorus singer complimented her, she held her hand to her chest and said, That made my day!

After all, Ms. Davidsen doesnt believe shes a Nilsson or a Flagstad just yet. Those singers are inspirational, and idols, she said. If I could ever achieve a percentage of what they have done, I would be happy. But I would not know until Ive been in the business a couple of years.

Ms. Davidsen was quick to clarify: She didnt mean literally two years; obviously, she said, it would take many more. But, given what shes accomplished in a single decade, a couple of years sounded entirely possible.

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A One-in-a-Million Voice Arrives at the Met Opera - The New York Times

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. --The Building Trades Employers Association (BTEA) recently released new statistics it says show union construction workers in New York City were five times less likely to suffer a fatal accident last year than their non-union counterparts. Although, not everyone agrees.

The BTEA report said that 85% of construction fatalities in 2018 occurred at the hands of non-union contractors, and that BTEA contractors received 33% fewer safety violations than others.

Brian Sampson, president of the Empire State chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), said the study misuses the data. His association is a national construction organization devoted to merit contractors, encouraging open competition and a free-enterprise approach that awards contracts based solely on merit, regardless of labor affiliation.

While the statistics were released by BTEA, Lou Coletti, the organizations CEO, said the data was obtained through the independent Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). BTEA represents contractors in New York City who hire building trade union members.

They are trying to compare apples to oranges, and are not looking at the entire marketplace, Sampson said. "Our data really presents a very different picture.

He added his organization also recently analyzed OSHA data

But Coletti said: In a city like New York, a safe construction site is critical for workers and the public alike. And the statistics released today could not be clearer ... Safety and security are part of the culture of a union contractor, and the quality of the work is second to none.

Sampson countered that when looking at the data, ABCs NYC members -- which total 200 businesses employing about 50,000 workers -- are 400% safer than the rest of New York state.

We would like BTEA to compare itself to the entire construction marketplace, to what they classify as non-members, rather than just their members, Sampson said.

But BTEA stands by its analysis.

[This] shows that year in and year out, union construction firms are the safest in New York City. Thats because when you have a skilled and experienced union workforce, the quality of work is better and safety is not just prioritized - its part of the culture. These statistics make that clear, said Coletti.

UNION WORKERS WEIGH IN

Workers for other unions said they agree with the BTEA study.

The results of this study arent surprising at all, said Robert Holst, a journeyman electrician with IBEW Local 3.

While every construction job has inherent dangers, it is the training that union building trades members receive during their apprenticeship that makes the difference in regards to a safe job. Union employers are committed to this training and creating safe work spaces. The confidence in performing ones job comes from training. There is no substitute for a union apprenticeship program, added the West Brighton resident.

Said Mike Prohaska, business manager of Local 79, Construction and General Building Laborers: Our members health and welfare will always be our number one priority, so our training programs place great importance on worker safety and safe worksite practices. Our signatory contractors hire our members because they want the best of the best on their job, and to complete their job effectively and efficiently.

FOLLOW TRACEY PORPORA ON FACEBOOK and TWITTER

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Union vs. non-union workers: Which construction sites are safer? - SILive.com

Just 4 percent of people in their late 60s moved over the past year.

One result has been a geographic unevenness. Decades ago, less wealthy parts of the country tended to be the ones that attracted the most new residents, because lower rents and wages there drew in businesses, and people were more likely to move to where jobs were. But the economy is now less flexible, with prosperity clustered in larger cities and with businesses and people moving less.

It used to be that poorer places grew faster, but thats gone, said Jay Shambaugh, an economics professor at George Washington University. This is a really different economy than it used to be. Its one where places that struggle continue to struggle.

That is true for southern West Virginia, where the scourge of opioids is tearing through a second generation of families. Johnny Nick Hager, 25, who works as a cook and school bus driver in Mingo County, said he had thought about moving to Tennessee or New York like his friends and relatives who have fled the drugs and joblessness.

There are no jobs in Mingo County its move or bust, he said on Wednesday.

But for now, he is staying put, hoping to help make things better. He is running for county commission in 2020.

I want to try to make a difference in my area before I do leave, he said. If things dont change, we are all going to have to leave.

Changes in the economy have made moving less appealing for some. It used to be that all workers with college degrees or without could count on earning more in denser urban areas. Cities also offered lower-skilled workers better jobs in offices, in factories. An analysis by David Autor, an economist at M.I.T., found that the urban wage advantage is largely gone for less-educated workers. And the jobs that remain for them in cities are in personal services: food, cleaning, health, entertainment, recreation, transportation and repair.

People who are moving longer distances, between counties and between states, are disproportionately college educated, Mr. Frey said. When Tyler Wilson graduated from college last year, he moved back in with his parents in Leavittsburg, Ohio, near Youngstown.

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Frozen in Place: Americans Are Moving at the Lowest Rate on Record - The New York Times

Eileen Gutierrez is taking a big step from homelessness to a career in construction.

Eileen Gutierrez is taking a big step from homelessness to a career in construction. "It's life changing in all aspects," she said. KTVU's Rob Roth reports she is one of eight people who fell on hard times and is getting back up and has graduated from a construction leadership training program run by Oakland Salvation Army.

OAKLAND, Calif. - Eileen Gutierrez is taking a big step from homelessness to a career in construction.

"It's life changing in all aspects," she said.

Gutierrez is one of eight people who fell on hard times and is getting back up.

They all graduated Friday from the construction leadership training program run by the Oakland Salvation Army, free of charge to the students.

Gutierrez said she left a bad marriage last year and ended up living in homeless shelters with her children. Then she found construction training.

"As a mother of sixIcan show them it is possible to stand up for yourself and move on," she said.

"As a mother of sixIcan show them it is possible to stand up for yourself and move on," she said.

Students spend weeks learning framing, hammering, drilling and cutting.

"I like the electrician part. It is kind of hard, but Iam still going to work on it," she said.

The training is done by general contractors.

"They get the basics of carpentry and electrical. They get an electrical training card. And an OSHA N Card, which allows them to walk on just about any construction site and go to work," saidMark Talbot ofAssociated Builders and Contractors.

The students will be walking into a construction field sorely in need of workers. The Associated Builders and Contractors estimates the shortage is at half a million workers statewide.

That's good news for Santos Torres.

He told us he ran with the wrong crowd, served a year in jail for grand theft auto and now, like his fellow graduates, wants a fresh start.

"It's a new life. It really is. Got to put the old life to rest and move foreward," said Torres.

The students hope to be out on a construction site working within the next few weeks. Starting pay is $18-$25 an hour.

Continue reading here:
Mother of 6 goes from homelessness to career in construction - KTVU San Francisco

VAR would be welcome introduction to cash-flush soccer organisation

So the PSL has become a billion-rand industry for the first time since its formation in 1996.

Good news indeed, but I just hope this milestone translates into a much-improved product in terms of the footballwe watch. Making the ground-breaking revelation at the PSLs annual general meeting, chairman Irvin Khoza said the record revenue of the league for the 2018/19 financial year was R1.05-billion, to be precise.

It is an increase from the R938-million posted in the 2017/18 financial year and R884-million from three seasons ago. The increase has been attributed to the renewal of the broadcast contract with MultiChoice because the deal makes a high percentage of the PSLs income stream.

Khoza also revealed that besides the new financial benchmark making it possible for the PSL to increase the monthly grants for the 16 teams in the premier division and the 16 in the first division from next season, refereeing and VAR were on top of their list.

Im glad that Khoza touched on the contentious issue of refereeing standards and the introduction of video assistant referees but was quick to point out that it was not in the PSLs ambit but the league was prepared to engage Safa on both issues.

Both the PSL and Safa have yet to state whether the introduction of VAR is feasible and they can afford such technology.

Although the details of the increase in club grants for both leagues were not spelled out, the grant for Premier League clubs could increase from R1.5-million a month to well over R2-mllion from next season.

This deserves a round of applause.

This brings us to the issue of the quality of football we watch week in and week out. If it is raining money in the PSL, which I cannot doubt because Im not an accountant, why are we fed poor and amateurish football at every match?

No doubt the latest monetary figures ensure that the Premiership is the richest league on the continent. As the structure in charge of professional football in this country, they should ensure players receive decent salaries as an incentive to dish out quality football because money is no longer an issue.

As the PSL has made it a point that they are running a financially viable organisation, they should also ensure the product is professional. Its good to make money but how it is invested could be a different matter.

The quality of football on the pitches, where money is made in the form of gate takings by the clubs, leaves much to be desired.

Last week Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane cried foul about the drainage system at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium in Durban when they met Golden Arrows in torrential rain during a league match.

Put aside the assertion that Mosimane was being a crybaby because he lost. The Durban stadium is not the only football venue with a poor drainage system and all these stadiums have been used for as long as the PSL was formed 23 years ago. I know the old excuse is that clubs dont own stadiums, so they are not responsible for their upkeep.

Attendances have been dwindling at an alarming rate in the past years due to the low standard of soccer we are being fed, an exception, of course, being the Soweto derby.

Many have argued that the poor football we are witnessing is a huge factor affecting attendances. I agree. Many a South African football supporter would rather gloat about the calibre of football in the English Premier League rather than our own Premiership.

By Xolile Mtshazo

Read the original here:
PSL, invest in quality of game - Johannesburg Sunday World

The average hourly pay for an Electrician is $21.68.

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Electricians work for a wide variety of companies, perform a multitude of tasks that generally require close attention to detail and good judgment, and have a journeyman electrician's license. These licenses typically require four years of apprentice work. That time includes some classroom instruction and a good deal of actual fieldwork. Certain states and companies may require a master electrician's license, which entails several more years of experience working as a journeyman. Electricians Read more

Electrician Tasks

The top respondents for the job title Electrician are from the companies Electric Co., U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force (USAF). Reported salaries are highest at SunRun where the average pay is $26.22. Other companies that offer high salaries for this role include Berg Electric Corp. and U.S. Air Force (USAF), earning around $25.10 and $25.00, respectively. Tri City pays the lowest at around $18.18. Tradesmen International, Inc. and Electric Co. also pay on the lower end of the scale, paying $18.28 and $19.37, respectively.

Skills in Troubleshooting, Maintenance and Electronic Troubleshooting are correlated to pay that is above average. Skills that pay less than market rate include Residential and Commercial.

An entry-level Electrician with less than 1 year experience can expect to earn an average total compensation (includes tips, bonus, and overtime pay) of $14.72 based on 272 salaries. An early career Electrician with 1-4 years of experience earns an average total compensation of $17.47 based on 3,791 salaries. A mid-career Electrician with 5-9 years of experience earns an average total compensation of $22.14 based on 2,813 salaries. An experienced Electrician with 10-19 years of experience earns an average total compensation of $24.95 based on 3,720 salaries. In their late career (20 years and higher), employees earn an average total compensation of $27.

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This data is based on 13,624 survey responses.

Read more here:
Electrician Hourly Pay | PayScale

What if an occupation is not listed?

If your job is not on a shortage list, dont be disheartened. There are other work, resident, student and holidayvisasthat might be right for you.

Employers with advertised job vacancies in New Zealand that have made genuine but unsuccessful efforts to find a suitable New Zealand citizen or resident for the position can look to recruit migrant workers. In this situation, the employer may apply to Immigration New Zealand forApproval in Principleto recruit workers from overseas. They may also offer employment to a migrant directly and support their application for anEssential Skillswork visa. The employer will need to provide supporting information and demonstrate their efforts to recruit New Zealanders first.

If you want to apply for residence in New Zealand, you might be eligible under theSkilled Migrant Category, or aWork to Residencevisa if you are offered employment by an Accredited Employer.

If you are aged between 18 and 30 years, and your country has an agreement with the New Zealand government, you may be eligible to apply for aWorking Holidayvisa.

AVisitor Visais a great way to experience everything New Zealand has to offer. You are permitted to meet with prospective employers but you are not permitted to work until you have been granted a work visa.

Want to know more about the lists?See how theyre reviewed and updated.

Note 1: Qualifications listed (unless an exception is stated) are New Zealand awarded qualifications on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF). Overseas qualifications must be comparable to the standard of the New Zealand qualification listed. Overseas qualifications therefore require an International Qualification Assessment (IQA) from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority stating the comparable NZQF qualification.

Note 2: Where post-qualification work experience is included as a requirement it applies to all qualifications listed for the occupation (unless otherwise indicated).

Note 3: Where a Washington Accord accredited undergraduate engineering degree is a requirement, the engineering degree has to be awarded from or after the date the country became a signatory, and must be on the list of accredited programmes of the signatory country. To determine if an engineering degree awarded is Washington Accord accredited, please refer to theInternational Engineering Alliance website.

Where a Sydney Accord accredited undergraduate engineering degree is a requirement, the engineering technology degree has to be awarded from or after the date the country became a signatory, and must be on the list of accredited programmes of the signatory country. To determine if an engineering technology degree awarded is Sydney Accord accredited, please refer to theInternational Engineering Alliance website.

Where a Seoul Accord accredited undergraduate IT degree is a requirement, the IT degree has to be awarded from or after the date the country became a signatory, and must be on the list of accredited programmes of the signatory country. To determine if an IT degree awarded is Seoul Accord accredited, please refer tothe website.

Note 4: Qualifications held by applicants claiming points based on this list under the Skilled Migrant Category must be recognised under the Skilled Migrant Category.

Note 5: Where New Zealand registration is specified as a requirement and states a qualification(s) in this area of absolute skill shortage is/are, a person only needs to hold the particular New Zealand registration and to have undertaken any necessary work experience in order to meet the requirements of the List. In these cases, qualifications are listed only for the purposes of people applying for work visas under WF4.1.

Note 6: A letter, certificate or registration from the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand Incorporated (IPENZ), as Engineering New Zealand was formerly known, may be used to meet the requirement for a letter, certificate or registration from Engineering New Zealand. A letter from IPENZ may also be used to meet an applicable requirement instead of a letter from IT Professionals New Zealand. IPENZs name changed to Engineering New Zealand in October 2017.

Read more here:
Electrician (General) Visa Options - Immigration New Zealand