The Board of the National Electrical Trade Council (NETCO) has elected Tom Reid to serve as President and as a Director of the Council. Reid is International Vice-President First District Canada of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). He replaces Bill Daniels, whose retirement from both NETCO and the IBEW was effective July 1. NETCO is an alliance of the IBEW and the Canadian Electrical Contractors Association (CECA). Its mandate is to promote national standards in technical skills training and to advocate on policy issues that affect the two partner organizations.
“NETCO is a growing organization that helps our industry navigate a world where electrical technologies and training needs are constantly changing,” said Reid. “The IBEW has always prided ourselves as providing the most highly trained, highly capable people to the marketplace. NETCO plays a huge role in helping the union and our contractors to maintain that edge.”
Tom Reid joined the IBEW as a construction electrician in Kingston, Ontario in 1984. Active in union affairs, he became the IBEW union organizer for Eastern Ontario in 1993. He has served as an International representative of the IBEW in Canada since 1998. As International Vice-President, Reid is based at the IBEW First District office in Mississauga.
“NETCO’s Board has set a clear strategic direction for the next year,” he said. “For me, the priorities include the continued development of distance learning systems to encourage tradespeople to train where they work. We’re also bringing together expert resources to update green skills training programs, such as the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program, to ensure that qualified electricians are available to do complex electrical work.”
Reid also paid tribute to his predecessor as NETCO President, long-time IBEW colleague Bill Daniels. “Bill brought dedication and energy to his work, and he inspired a generation of tradespeople to uphold the highest standards.”
Reid’s accession to the presidency is part of a year of transition at NETCO. A new Executive Director, Melissa Young, moved into the post of administrative leader for NETCO on July 1. She replaces Carol MacLeod, who had served since the founding of NETCO in 2006.
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Backgrounder: About NETCO
NETCO is a national partnership of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Canada and the Canadian Electrical Contractors Association (CECA). IBEW Canada has over 70,000 members and represents electrical apprentices and journeypersons. CECA represents the interests of over 8,000 electrical contractors across Canada who directly employ 70,000 people and generate over $5 billion in revenues. NETCO’s mandate includes the development of training programs, including the adaptation of US training curricula to Canadian codes, and the pursuit of blended learning opportunities combining online and classroom instruction; the development of curriculum and standards for green electrical skills related to alternative energy technologies and energy efficiency; and advocacy, especially for the enhancement and harmonization of occupational and training standards for the electrical sector across Canada. NETCO strongly supports the Red Seal program, which has stood for more than 50 years as a successful model for labour mobility within Canada. NETCO provides an ongoing forum for technical training organizations and hosts an annual training conference to review issues in trades training, technology and occupational standards.
NETCO’s Board of Directors as of July 13, 2018 is:
Tom Reid, President IBEW Ontario
Bryan Leverick, Vice President CECA Saskatchewan
Dave Mason, Treasurer CECA Ontario
Graeme Aitken CECA Ontario
Kevin Ashley, RSE CECA Nova Scotia
James Barry, RSE IBEW Ontario
John Grimshaw, RSE IBEW Ontario
Terry Milot, RSE CECA Alberta
Jean-Marc Ringuette, RSE IBEW New Brunswick
Graham Trafford, RSE CECA British Columbia
Adam Van Steinburg, RSE IBEW British Columbia
John White IBEW Alberta
Information:
Melissa Young, Executive Director, (506) 647-3180
Melissa.Young@netco.org
http://www.ceca.org/netco