Students at North Point High School in Waldorf, Md. can now learn about solar energy through experience, thanks to the Washington D.C. Joint Apprenticeship & Training Committee (JATC), who donated and installed a new photovoltaic (PV) array system to provide solar energy to the school and serve as an educational tool.
The nine panel PV array was installed by Crofton, MD-based T & B Electric Co., a member of Washington D.C. Chapter, NECA. The donation comes from a long-standing relationship between the JATC and the high school, beginning when they contributed a classroom to the facility in 2004.
“The system is most valued as instructive tool to better prepare students interested in pursuing an electrical career. This was an opportunity to give potential apprentices a hands-on experience, especially in the growing green sector of our industry,” said Ralph Neidert, a master electrician in Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia and assistant director at the JATC.
The JATC is sponsored by the Electrical Alliance, a cooperative effort between the Washington, DC Chapter of NECA and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, (IBEW) Local 26.
North Point High School held a ribbon cutting ceremony today at 2 p.m. with electrical students, faculty and staff, school board members and members of the JATC, NECA and IBEW to introduce the PV array system with short tour of the electrical construction classroom and work areas.
“This project is an outgrowth of the superintendent’s vision of using technology as a medium for connecting the school system and area businesses to Charles County mission of keeping students current with the latest in technology education. North Point has a long standing partnership with the JATC and the IBEW. We look forward to working together in future endeavors,” said Ron Wilson, North Point High School’s vice principal.
The JATC offers accredited apprenticeship programs that prepare students to excel in tomorrow’s electrical industry and continuing education that readies experienced electricians for work on tomorrow’s systems. Journeyman electricians can earn a North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) Certificate of Knowledge through JATC’s renewable energy course, one of only a handful of NABCEP Certificate of Knowledge Test sites.
Visit www.washdcjatc.org for more information.
