Electrician apprentice?

[Anonymous]

A male family member in his 20s lives out of state. He’s unhappy where he is and unhappy with his job prospects. He is not a kid meant for college.

He’d like to become an electrician and work in theme park (Eg Disney, kings dominion etc). Do places like Kings Dominion offer apprenticeship programs? Or would he have to get the electrician certification first. I’m happy to have him come live with us in VA for as long as he wishes if he is able to work and get his apprenticeship at the same time.

The electrician in a theme park may seem like a weird goal, but where he lives now there is a theme park. He loves theme parks. He currently maintains the arcades thru a contractor there. They just don’t offer this path. And he’d really like to leave his hometown.

[Anonymous]

Two things.

1) You need to understand what the formal electrician training process is in Virginia.

2) Have him call amusement park h.r. departments and ask. He might be able to find a sympathetic person who will look it up. The bulk of the work might also be outsourced. Electrical safety is no joke at a place that has thousands of guests and all those rides.

Arcade maintenance might be more like appliance repair than being an electrician.

In my state, electricians are union and it's a 5 year working (paid) apprenticeship program. My guess is that you would need that training to be an electrician who works on rollercoasters and powering buildings at a park.

[Anonymous]

PP.

Actually just Google electrician at King's Dominion. There are various job descriptions out there.

The job your family member has might be this one...

$15/hour isn't worth moving for.

Kings Dominion hiring Maintenance - Electrical Helper Job in Doswell, VA
Overview: $15.00 an hour. As a seaonal Electrician's Helper you will maintain lighting systems in the Park. Replaces or sevices lamps, fixtures, ...

Look for the jobs that require training and certification.

[Anonymous]

PP. Again.

For a better job, no pay listed, you need Virginia Electrical Journeymens Certification.

Google that. Might require 2 years of classes.

The AI summarizes and links to resources.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Two things.

1) You need to understand what the formal electrician training process is in Virginia.

2) Have him call amusement park h.r. departments and ask. He might be able to find a sympathetic person who will look it up. The bulk of the work might also be outsourced. Electrical safety is no joke at a place that has thousands of guests and all those rides.

Arcade maintenance might be more like appliance repair than being an electrician.

In my state, electricians are union and it's a 5 year working (paid) apprenticeship program. My guess is that you would need that training to be an electrician who works on rollercoasters and powering buildings at a park.

He knows it's different than arcade maintenance. Like I said, he's very familiar with the theme park environment. I think he's scared off by any testing, which is not his strong suit. Nice "kid", friendly, works very hard, just a hard time with formal schooling.

[Anonymous]

I know someone who does Disney construction. It’s obviously for a company that is not Disney but is contracted.

He lives in a trailer. And when he was almost terminally ill, he got laid off.

Sorry if his DW reads this, I don’t think she is on dcum. But I think she would agree it’s not an easy path.

[Anonymous]

Newport News Shipbuilding has various trade apprenticeship programs that lead to full licensing in VA for various trades. But do not kid yourself, shipbuilding is inherently dangerous work. And the pay for apprentices will be low until they at least get a Journeyman license.

[Anonymous]

Many VA community colleges have 2 year programs to help one get started in some trade.

[Anonymous]

Being an electrician can be a great career. Being an electrician in a theme park, not so much. I'm not sure why he wants to work in a theme park specifically. I have a trusted electrician who owns his own business and charges $150/hour. He seems to be doing well.