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The U.S. is facing a growing skilled labor crisis—especially in the electrical trade. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the country will need to fill around 80,000 electrician jobs annually through 2031 to keep pace with demand. At the same time, the electrical workforce is shrinking. The industry is projected to lose 14% of its workforce by 2030, even as demand surges by as much as 25%.
At the Florida West Coast chapter of the Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC), the next generation of electricians is getting hands-on training and real-world support to launch long-lasting careers in the skilled trades.
Trade Hounds’ Jeanette Abrahamsen sat down with Natasha Sherwood, Executive Director of IEC Florida West Coast, to explore how the organization is expanding access to apprenticeships, embracing emerging technology, and creating second chances for those who need them most.
A National Movement with Local Impact
IEC is a nonprofit trade association representing more than 4,100 member businesses with chapters across the U.S. At its core, IEC is dedicated to developing the skilled workforce of tomorrow.
“We're growing new electricians... It really is a cradle-to-grave type of program,” Natasha explains. Her job is to answer questions like, “what can we provide for our middle schools and high schools to prepare students for the opportunity to build a career in electrical? And then, after they become electricians, how do we help them become better, safer, run their businesses, and essentially power the United States?”
Each year, IEC trains over 17,000 electrical apprentices who go on to power homes, businesses, and communities across the country. At the Florida West Coast chapter, that means supporting apprentices statewide—from Tallahassee to Tampa to the Keys—through a federally approved, four-year apprenticeship program that equips them with the skills and knowledge to succeed.
“Those students come in—no debt, they don’t have to pay for schooling—and in four years, they’re graduating as journeyman electricians. They can start out making $60,000 a year, driving trucks, buying their own houses.”
Rethinking the “College for All” Mentality
Before joining IEC, Natasha was a high school principal. Like many educators, she believed that a traditional four-year college degree was the best path for students, especially those from low-income families.
That mindset shifted when one of her top students on a full scholarship confessed that he hated college and wanted to work with cars.
"I was like, why did I never ask you what you wanted to do? I thought college was how everyone was going to do better,” Natasha said. “So, we sat down and started chatting."
Soon after, she learned that Tampa was importing tradespeople from out of state to complete infrastructure projects, paying per diem and hourly rates because local talent was in such short supply.
"I'm a fifth-generation Floridian, so I'm thinking, how do we not have enough people to do what we need? I started really researching that concept—that we've been pushing four years of college for everyone, and it wasn't getting us what we wanted."
Since then, she’s been on a mission to bring the trades back into schools, communities, and conversations.
VR, AR, and Hands-On Learning: Training for the Real World
Electrical work can be intimidating, especially for high schoolers who’ve never picked up a tool or looked behind a panel. To help remove that fear and make learning more engaging, IEC has partnered with Siemens to introduce virtual reality and 3D training through the BILT App.
"It's not really safe to blow up a transformer in real life. It could be dangerous to all of those involved, but checking your skills and seeing what happens in virtual reality allows you to make mistakes safely. It demystifies some of it,” said Natasha.
For many students, the idea of working with electricity feels overwhelming or out of reach. “We’d be at job fairs, career fairs for students, and they were just like, ‘Nah, I could never learn electrical,” Natasha said.
But putting them in a virtual environment changed that. “It's something they're comfortable with. That’s where students this age live.”
That blend of technology and training has made a real impact—not just in how students learn, but in how they see the trades.
“It makes it not as scary, and they see this as a forward-thinking career. I think this shows that this is a career that is evolving—something that’s always going to be there and always getting better.”
Expanding Access to the Skilled Trades
Not every school has a construction or electrical program—and that’s a problem the Florida West Coast chapter set out to solve. One of their most impactful tools? A mobile lab RV equipped with virtual reality and hands-on demos.
They bring it to events at schools. The RV brings opportunity directly to students, especially in areas where no electrical programs exist.
“Hillsborough County, where we are now, has one electrical program in the entire county for high schools... If we can take it to someone else, then we can have more students,” Natasha said.
That same spirit of access drives IEC’s efforts to support young women. Programs like their Girls Camps and Jill of All Trades give middle and high school girls hands-on experience in electrical, welding, and auto tech. They also receive mentorship from women already in the industry.
“We know that representation is important to see,” said Natasha. “You're not just telling them they can do this, you're actually showing them this is how far they can go.”
Second Chances: Changing Lives Through Pre-Apprenticeships
Through a partnership with the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, IEC extended pre-apprenticeship training to incarcerated youth, offering a new path forward and a second chance at life.
The program began with just one boy named Jayden.
“He went from having no future. He didn't know what he wanted to do,” Natasha explained. “From the very first class, he kind of had his head down. He wouldn't really look at us. By the end of it, he is telling all his friends, in the facility, 'watch what I’m going to build.’ And so now he’s encouraging other individuals to get involved in it.”
Jayden completed the pre-apprentice program, was released from incarceration, and went to work for an IEC contractor.
“I got a picture of him on his first day at work,” said Natasha. “We saw when he bought his first steel toe boots. He actually bought his first car a couple weeks ago.”
Thanks to Siemens and BILT, Natasha is now able to get virtual reality training into the facilities where some traditional tools may not be allowed.
“[Students] can see transformers. They can see power boxes. They can see what the future looks like. That gives them just a little more hands-on, a little more touch, even though they can't have all the tools behind bars.”
The success of the juvenile justice initiative inspired IEC to expand its work with the Department of Corrections across Florida—and to share the model with other states.
“We went to the Department of Corrections, and we said, 'how about we help your people before they come out of prison?’ If we can get them skills while they’re incarcerated, when they come out, they can be like Jayden—where they have a job. You walk out of jail. You walk onto the job. You’re working. You have a reason not to go back in.”
The Bigger Picture
Whether it’s through tuition-free apprenticeships, immersive VR training, or second-chance programs, IEC is proving that the skilled trades offer more than jobs—they offer opportunity.
At a time when the U.S. is facing severe skilled labor shortages, organizations like IEC are reshaping workforce development.
“We need more electricians. There are more that retire every day than come in,” said Natasha. “So, we’re going to help the contractors. We’re going to help the individual who needs a second chance, or a third chance, or a fourth chance. We’re also going to help all of the community, because someone has to build the hospitals and someone has to build the schools.”
At Trade Hounds, we’re proud to share stories like these that highlight the power of skilled trades to transform lives and communities.
🎥 Watch the full interview between Natasha Sherwood and Jeanette Abrahamsen below.
🔗 Explore the IEC Florida West Coast chapter: Visit the website
