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City Electric Supply (CES) announced that its branch located in Alexandria, VA, recently supported a local trade school's program by donating nearly $7,000 worth of supplies. It all began when CES Alexandria Branch Manager Johnathan Rodgers answered a call about Romex pricing from Joseph Wolf, the Edison High School Electrical Construction & Engineering instructor.
"I started asking him about the program, what they do and how it works. I then asked if they accepted donated materials, and Mr. Wolfe replied, 'We absolutely do,'" said Rodgers in the release.
The next step was finding the materials to donate. Rodgers made some calls and received good news from vendor O. T. Hall & Son, who was in the process of moving offices and had some extra inventory. THey didn't hesitate to lend a helping hand, agreeing to donate materials worth nearly $7,000.
"We have a really good relationship with City Electric Supply, so when Johnathan asked us if we wanted to donate, we were happy to," said O. T. Hall & Son Outside Sales Rep Dan Roser in the release.
The best part is that this donation came at an ideal time. Wolfe and his students just started learning about commercial applications, and they now have all the commercial tools and material they need to learn it right away.
"The students are going to get a lot of use out of the commercial-grade tools and help them enter the field and trade industry even faster," added Wolfe. "All the companies that work with us will see that and will want to work with our students, helping them build strong, projective careers as electricians or engineers."
One Edison High School student said in the release, “Looking at the materials we got, there are a lot of new things to try out on the commercial side of the program, like data connection sets, which is really interesting because we haven’t had the chance to learn with those yet.”
“The donation of the pallets is an opportunity for us to learn more about the trade and all the things we need to understand everything we do in class,” another student added. “There’s a lot of hands-on experience here since we’re an electrical construction class. Everyone will be able to benefit from all the tools provided for us.”
This positive response means a great deal to those who helped procure the materials. “These programs show students that there are alternative paths to success,” Rodgers said in the release. “For City Electric Supply to be a part of their growth and their knowledge is really important, because we have a direct impact on making sure these students are getting what they need to be successful.”
“This is the right thing to do with extra materials, and it only benefits the young learners today and in the future,” added Roser. “We’re just happy that this product can be used.”
As for the school, it’s exactly what they needed. As they are working hard to tackle the vocational shortage by providing students with a path into either electrical construction or electrical engineering.
“We’re a job-training program, so we’re here to support students to try and help them obtain a career path,” Roser said in the release. “It’s up to them if they want to pursue college or a trade in the field. We provide that career path for both avenues for students to decide which way they want to go.”
As a City Electric Supply branch manager, Rodgers encourages other suppliers to connect with the next generation of electricians and help whenever possible. “Reach out to your local high schools and vocational schools,” he said in the release. “Lots of schools don’t have the budget, so offer donations or work on pricing to get them what they need. The students count on it.”