Iowa sees ‘unprecedented’ demand for electrical workers, tradespeople

This story first appeared in Spotlight on Apprenticeships 2025, an annual special section dedicated to skilled trades in Eastern Iowa.

Calling all skilled tradesmen and women: you are needed in Iowa.

“The best word to describe the current demand for qualified electrical workers in the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Corridor is unprecedented. Our numbers have increased dramatically over the past five years,” said Jebediah Novak, training director for Cedar Rapids Electrical Apprenticeship Training & Education Trust (CREA Trust).

This year alone, Novak said his programs have seen over a 25 percent increase in the number of newly indentured apprentices, or people who have just signed their formal apprenticeship agreement with a union, trade organization or employer.

He only expects demand to grow, which aligns with Iowa Workforce Development’s new grant awards for Registered Apprenticeship (RA) sponsors whose programs are building the workforce pipeline across the state. A total of $3.4 million in grants were distributed to both existing RA programs and programs created in new occupations that are based in high-demand fields.

Locally, CREA Trust received $89,924 to support 157 apprentices, along with Local 263 CR Sheet Metal Workers, who received $46,966.69 to support 82 apprentices. Alliant Energy received $77,323 for 135 apprentices, and Kirkwood Community College received $4,582 for eight apprentices.

“The grant was created for the purpose of covering expenses associated with operating an apprenticeship program. The funds are allowed to be used for one-time or ongoing costs; our program will use the award to help cover instructor salaries. This will allow us to reallocate that money to use in other areas of our training budget,” Novak said.

Grant funds awarded to RA sponsors are managed through the Iowa Office of Apprenticeship (IOA) housed within Iowa Workforce Development. It’s one of two annual grant programs that support some existing programs and new occupations in high-demand fields.

“Iowa made an investment to provide financial support to grow RA programs when these programs were created over 10 years ago,” said Beth Townsend, executive director of Iowa Workforce Development. “Today, we continue to see the return on that investment with increases in the number of apprentices and programs across the state as well as the expansion of this training model into nontraditional fields.”

Novak said the funds are just in time.

“With the increasing number of apprentices being accepted into our programs, there are several costs associated with operating the program that increase also. For example, there is additional wear-and-tear on lab resources requiring equipment to be replaced on an increased frequency,” he said. “Also, a lot of materials we use in our training labs are consumables that are only able to be used once, such as when learning to bend conduit.”

Programs offered by the Cedar Rapids Electrical Apprenticeship Training & Education Trust are designed to give apprentices the skills, attitude and knowledge needed to perform as a journeyman electrical worker for the signatory contractors the trust works with.

“These skills range from tasks such as the installation, testing and troubleshooting of systems such as motors and motor controls, process instrumentation, building automation, access control, signaling systems such as fire alarm or security, smart lighting systems, renewable energy production, fiber optics and more,” Novak said.

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The 157 apprentices in the CREA Trust program experience two parts.

“The first part is on-the-job training, where the apprentice is assigned to a contractor to be taught the hands-on skills required of a qualified electrical worker by the journeyman electricians they are working with,” Novak said.

Each apprentice is required to complete up to 8,000 hours of on-the-job training. This is where the phrase “Earn While You Learn” comes from, Novak said. Apprentices are paid for their time on the job, with programmed wage increases as part of the apprenticeship agreement. They also earn pension and health benefits on day one when starting as a new apprentice.

The second part involves traditional learning. During the program, an apprentice will spend a minimum of 180 hours in the classroom each year.

“This supplements the hands-on training. The apprentice was taught on-the-job what to do and how, and the classroom theory explains why they are being taught to do things a certain way,” Novak said. “The apprentice is responsible for book fees while in school, but there are no out-of-pocket tuition expenses while completing the program.”

“This means that upon graduation, there will be no loans to pay back when the individual earns journeyman status and continues to work in the trade,” he added.

It’s a tempting proposition, setting participants up for strong wages with little to no debt.

“I think that anyone that completes a quality apprenticeship program has arguably benefited if this is the type of work they want to do. In the four years of the apprenticeship, they will have earned just as much in wages, if not more, than they would have spent earning a four-year degree; that doesn’t even consider pension and health insurance benefits,” Novak said. “And then, after the apprenticeship, they are essentially debt-free with no student loan payments, potentially earning over six-figures a year.”