IBEW Local 40 Graduation: A Milestone for Skilled Trades Careers
By Robert Fulton
IBEW Local 40 celebrated its newest cohort of apprenticeship graduates with a luncheon at the Sheraton Universal on August 17.
The 25 members of the class of 2024 were presented with their apprenticeship certificates by Busienss Manager Stephan Davis and Training Director/Apprenticeship Coordinator Jesse Baron.
Davis highlighted that this year’s graduating class was the biggest ever. He stressed the opportunities this year’s graduates now have and the responsibility they hold for future generations.
“I’m proud of each and every one of you,” Davis said. “At the end of the day, you now have a path to making a good living for the rest of your life and for the rest of your career.”
Insidewireman Chris Swanson was named this year’s Most Outstanding Apprentice. He’d always loved working with his hands and was eager to learn a trade and join a union for the higher standard of union it provides.
“The electrical side is more satisfactory,” said Swanson, who works for contractor Studio Electric. “When you assemble something and turn it on, and it works, you get that immediate gratification.”
Shawn Freyre studied HVAC in the apprenticeship program. He’s worked retail and other jobs, but being mechanically inclined, they weren’t for him. He now has a trade he can take anywhere.
“It’s just a great thing to have,” said Freyre, who works at the Universal Studios theme park. “I feel more people should go into the trades after high school. It should be an option, at least. It’s a foundation. It really is.”
Brett Cummings, an Insidewireman, had worked several other jobs before enrolling in the apprenticeship program.
“I swore myself two things,” Cummings said. “The first thing was, I’m never going to work nonunion again. The second thing was, I’m never going to work for a union that doesn’t represent my trade.”
Cummings first earned a certificate from Los Angeles Trade Tech College but enjoyed the camaraderie of Local 40’s apprenticeship program.
“There’s a feeling that you’ve got somebody on your side,” Cummings said.
