Grasheen Burns of Rahway enjoys his career as a licensed electrician working with IBEW Local 102 Electrical Union, whose members have been meeting electrical needs across New Jersey and Pennsylvania for more than 120 years.
Burns said his education at Union County Vocational-Technical Schools (UCVTS) helped him realize his dream career and gave him the tools to succeed in the field.
“I am so thankful,” said Burns, who is originally from Linden. “I will be forever grateful for attending the programs at UCVTS.”
Burns initially attended UCVTS’ adult high school program, graduating in 2004. He then returned to UCVTS to study in the full-time adult Electrical Technology program and the part-time evening Apprenticeship electrical classes until he graduated from the programs in 2007.
The Electrical Technology program’s first semester introduces students to safety and residential wiring, with lessons focusing on how to wire a house including devices such as switches, receptacles, fixtures, panels, meter and smoke detectors. The first semester also covers schematic drawings, blueprint reading and project estimating.
The second semester delves into commercial and industrial wiring including learning how to bend conduit of EMT, Rigid and PVC. Basic electrical theory and the understanding of the National Electric Code is also covered.
The Apprenticeship classes pair classroom instruction with real-world, on-the-job training.
The knowledge, skills, hands-on and real-world experiences Burns received in these programs at UCVTS gave him a complete education in the field. He continues to draw upon lessons learned as he progresses in his career.
