The National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NJATC), now called the Electrical Training ALLIANCE (ETA), was established in 1941 with the goal of training the best electrical workers in the industry. The model of work supplemented with classroom instruction has stood the test of time in preparing electrical workers, nationwide to be productive members of the IBEW.
The Western Pennsylvania Electrical JATC has operated from a few different locations in the area training the region’s premier electricians. Until 2000, IBEW Local 5 and the Western Pennsylvania Electrical JATC operated out of an office building that stood where PNC Park is currently located in downtown Pittsburgh.
In May of 1999, ground was broken on our current training center and office building. During the summer heat of 2000, construction began on the home of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the IBEW Local 5 training center.
About one year later, construction on the state-of-the-art training center was complete and apprentices began training at the facility. Equipped with more classrooms, a state-of-the-art calibration and instrumentation lab and an advanced motor control and programming room, the training center at 5 Hot Metal Street became the envy of the trades.
The Hot Metal Street location also serves as the location for the offices of IBEW Local 5, the credit union, an event center and where all of the Local 5 meetings are held.
Located in Clearfield is a second IBEW Local 5 Training Center. This training center serves as a satellite location for those looking to join Local 5 in the outlying areas.
For years, electrical apprentices and journeymen alike have come through these two facilities with curiosity and a hunger for knowledge. As time passes, these facilities have proven to be a reliable place for electricians to further their skills.