Ace Electric held their annual apprentice graduation for employees at Quail Branch Lodge in Lake Park, Georgia.  The event included dinner, recognition of top division apprentices, as well as the overall top apprentice of the year. Apprentice winners include Sami McDaniel and Luis Centeno from Valdosta, Ivan Romo from Statesboro, Baldemar Moreno from Jackson, Tennesee, and Vincente Castillo as Macon’s winner and overall top apprentice of the year. Graduates were presented with certificates, an Ace apprentice graduate coin, and company jacket.  Certificate presenters included Greg Terry, Training Manager, Rob Stalvey, Senior Vice President, and Tommy Stalvey, Senior Vice President.  

Ace’s apprenticeship program combines technical instruction and hands-on training to produce certified Journeyman Electricians. The program requires the students to complete 624 hours of classroom instruction and 8,000 hours of on-the-job training, typically taking four years to complete.  Tuition is free to Ace employees and the students are reimbursed for their textbooks at the completion of the program. Another benefit is a low ratio between students and instructors, averaging one instructor to every 10 students.  Greg Terry, Ace’s program coordinator, explains, “One of our core values at Ace is a commitment to develop and create career growth for our team, and this educational investment has been proven successful because we’ve retained 70% of our employees who joined the apprenticeship program.”  Currently, this year’s enrollment is 135 employees, which grew 25% percent from 2022.

Wiregrass Georgia Technical College also adopted Ace’s apprentice program to enhance education in the electrical trade.  Nicole West, Wiregrass Executive Director of Departmental Affairs, says, “Ace Electric was our first partner to hire high school dual enrollment students as registered apprentices. We are so appreciative of Ace for giving Wiregrass students apprenticeship opportunities. These apprenticeships provide a streamlined pathway to careers in the commercial electrical industry.”

Ace Electric is a family-owned and operated electrical contractor headquartered out of Valdosta, Georgia, and has divisions throughout the state in Valdosta, Macon, Statesboro, and Atlanta, as well as Siler City, North Carolina, and Jackson, Tennessee.  Ace performs safe and quality electrical installations in many market segments including commercial, cold storage and distribution, correctional, food and beverage, government, healthcare, hospitality, industrial, education, manufacturing, and mission critical.  For more information on services, visit AceElectric.net or call 800-255-9288.