Velex, a telecommunications construction and technical services company, has been tremendously successful in providing employment and growth opportunities for tower-climbing technicians throughout the nation. From the top-down, the company is committed to ensuring quality, safety, and innovation—with Registered Apprenticeship at the center. The structured training program and well-established standards of the Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP) provide the formula for recruitment, development, and eventual employment. With a thorough understanding of available career paths, Velex has developed clear and applicable training standards that ultimately carry over to on-the-job training.
Moreover, Velex maintains a strong commitment to structured mentorship, with an expert group of trainers and supervisors responsible for the safety and development of crews. The trainers have also completed similar training and development programs—serving as excellent resources in developing, relating to, and lending the necessary support to those in training.
Velex prides itself on maintaining a culture of inclusion, diversity, and equity within the program. A cornerstone of the ethos at Velex is to take the time to develop the abilities and skill sets of every apprentice and ensure equal access to opportunity. Velex has a strong focus on military recruitment efforts. Several military occupations provide a solid foundation of training and experience for telecommunications careers and Velex credits apprentices for the related training. In addition, the culture of teamwork and camaraderie is familiar to veterans and often helps them become more easily acclimated. Velex ultimately understands Registered Apprenticeship as an especially critical vehicle for creating greater diversity and equity within the industry.
Many of Velex’s Registered Apprentices come from pre-apprenticeship providers and event-based outreach. In the coming year, Velex looks forward to expanding its number of Registered Apprentices, expanding its operations, and expanding recruitment within community colleges. The success can be attributed mainly to the highly committed team focused on utilizing resources as efficiently and intentionally as possible. Velex has developed a quick-moving team that relies upon and holds each other accountable as they work to ensure that Velex operates efficiently and equitably. More than anything, perhaps, Velex understands its advantage in knowing that it can offer Registered Apprentices an opportunity that leads to a career path with real longevity and growth opportunities.
Learn more about the Registered Apprenticeship program at Velex
Publish Date: 04/07/2022