Johnny Monroe, branch manager for CarolinaPower’s Charleston office, has been elected President of the Charleston Electrical Contractors Association (CECA) for the 2021 term. A longtime member of CECA, Monroe previously served as Vice President.
CECA is a non-profit association comprised of 65 local electrical contractors and vendors with a common goal of impacting the electrical industry for the better. Members have access to a wide range of resources not available to individual firms, such as educational and recruiting programs, government relations, and industry assistance funds.
“At the heart of CECA’s mission is to inspire young people to join the electrical contracting field. The construction industry as a whole has a large skills gap. Highly skilled electricians are in high demand,” said Monroe.
CECA accomplishes its mission in several ways, including sponsoring skills competitions for high schoolers. Member volunteers also raise awareness about career options for electricians through classroom talks at middle schools and high schools, as well as participation in career fairs and community events.
The CECA-administered electrical apprenticeship program, launched in partnership with Trident Technical College, has proven quite successful in attracting new recruits to the industry. The program has seen a steady increase in enrollment over the past few years with 181 apprentices currently enrolled.
Registered with the S.C. Department of Labor, CECA’s comprehensive electrical apprenticeship program provides a combination of classroom, laboratory, and work experiences. Apprentices work full-time during the day and attend classes virtually several evenings per week. The program utilizes curriculum developed by the National Center of Construction Education & Research (NCCER).
Promoting continuous learning is another CECA priority. Monroe is one of four instructors for the Charleston area’s Supervisor electrical apprenticeship program – a first-of-its-kind in the state. “It is critical for us to invest in this program because the future of our industry depends on it,” said Monroe. “We have 39 students in the inaugural 2020-2021 class. Enrollment is currently open for the next class, which starts soon.”
CarolinaPower is well represented on the CECA leadership team this year. Serving with Monroe is CarolinaPower’s Derek Sligh, project manager, who was voted Secretary for 2021. To learn more about CECA, visit http://www.cecasc.org.
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