Apprenticeships – Earn While You Learn with Jarom

Transcript

Let’s hear from Jarom, an Apprentice Electrician from Ogden. OTECH is the largest apprenticeship provider in Utah, offering students the unique opportunity to earn while they learn. Jarom is an exceptional Apprenticeship student who attends OTECH for his educational training hours while earning great wages and getting on the job experience with a local employer. Take it away.

– Hello, Alex, you are too kind. I’m now a sparky or an electrician, but my OTECH story began about seven years ago when I came here for medical billing and coding. Probably, like a lot of you, my educational and career path wasn’t a straight one, but OTECH has been there every step of the way. One of the advantages of OTECH is being able to find out what you love to do through real, affordable, and flexible hands-on training. I knew I wanted a career in something technical and challenging, but just didn’t know quite what. I had headed down paths for elementary education and computer programming. And while they had their merits, they just weren’t what I found that I loved. In the meantime, I had gotten married and had three great kids. I looked for a career option that would be great for my family longterm and decided to do a trade. I had a friend that worked in electrical and have graduated from OTECH, and he inspired me to enroll again. It has been a perfect fit for me. It’s a field that is difficult, rewarding, stretches me, and makes me solve problems I never thought I’d have to solve. The experience I have gained here both hands on and in the classroom has benefited me enormously. Because of the flexible apprenticeship programs at OTECH, I have begun a fulfilling career. I even took and passed my state licensing tests on the first try. I now have a residential journeyman license and over 6,000 hours of experience under my tool belt. With one more year of schooling and experience, I can test for my full journeyman’s license. With some more experience, I can get my master’s license. That means I can serve my community through my own electrical business. Alex, back to you.

– Jarom, it sounds like an Apprenticeship program at OTECH has been an amazing opportunity for you and your family. The ability to earn a substantial wage while furthering your education will set you up for success for decades to come. Thanks again.