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Wilson Matthew Betances

@willmbetances

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Electrician → Contractor → Educator
Building the people who build things 🏗️
Trade podcast/long-form
Founder @energizeusedu
@replusevents • Nov 16–19

POSTS STORIES REELS

Electrical Contractors from all across the USA
Thank you @leviton by @willmbetances

Construction Electrical Foreman Training most contractors ignore …

If you walk onto most job sites you’ll see this..
Great electricians… but not so great leaders.

How do you create a team, where everyone grows?

Here in our first two days with Campbell Bay Electric, it was exciting!
The team first was quiet, then they were listening, but not saying much.

We pushed into it anyway.
Started breaking down their strengths.
Where they’re solid.
Where they’re getting stuck in the field.
How their Owner and Executive wants to support them in their goals. Personal and Business.

Then something shifted.

Day by day, more guys started speaking up.
Talking about what they want out of this trade.
Where they see themselves going.
What kind of foreman they actually want to become or not.

So @campbellbayelectric brought out:
• What strong field leadership actually looks like
• How communication and accountability show up on the job
• How each guy can grow into more responsibility

Thank you so much for the opportunity.
Day 3, let’s apply this now into the field.

#ElectricalForeman #ForemanTraining #Construction #Electrical #electrician by @willmbetances

Great Electrical companies build their people.

Thank you @jlelectricalservicecontractor by @willmbetances

Before anyone becomes an Electrician, you need to show them what and where their job today can take them.

Think about the person walking onto a jobsite for the first time. They’re learning the tools, trying to keep up, and figuring out if this is something they can build a life around.

They need to see what comes next.

You start with the basics. Build your skills. Earn credentials. Become someone others can learn from. If you want to lead, that path can continue into a crew lead, foreman or superintendent role.

But we have to take the time to explain it. Sit down, open the book and show them what each step takes and how we’ll support their growth.

A fair hourly rate matters. So does having someone teach you, recognize your progress and give you a real opportunity to move forward.

Attracting and retaining good people takes more than telling them what they’ll make this week. They need to see what they can build over the years.

Does your team know what their next step looks like? by @willmbetances

Make it make sense Electricians - WWYD by @willmbetances

by @willmbetances

As an Electrician, I used to think I was training to become stronger.

Now I think I’m training to become someone who doesn’t let the things that hurt me decide who I become.
I’m not trying to escape my past.

I’m building someone stronger than it. by @willmbetances

A little day in the life from Chicago Build.

For me, that includes taking care of my physical health and giving myself time to get mentally clear. When I’m speaking on panels and spending the day talking with so many people, I want to be present for those conversations.

The video pulls together two days and three panels, but I wanted to show the preparation too. The workout, getting ready and making my way to the convention.

Electricians and contractors know a demanding day starts before you get to the jobsite. How you prepare yourself matters when people are counting on you.

I can’t just roll out of bed and expect to give everyone my best.

Thank you to @chicagobuildexpo , @installershow and the @energizeusedu team.

What do you do before work to get yourself ready for the day? by @willmbetances

Everybody wants a good journeyman.

Everybody says they can’t find people to hire. But what are we offering them beyond an hourly rate?

At Chicago Build, we talked about a question contractors need to ask ourselves.

Can someone see a future with us? Do they understand how they can grow? Are we building the kind of company where a good electrician wants to stay?

That starts with us developing ourselves as contractors. The way we price, communicate and lead affects the opportunities we can offer our people.

One clarification from the panel: Apprentice starting pay and raises vary by program, employer, location and agreement. The figures discussed are not universal.

Contractors and electricians: What makes a company worth staying with? by @willmbetances

Everybody is talking about AI taking jobs:

Meanwhile electricians are about to have more opportunity than ever because somebody still has to build and power these massive data centers.

Electricians spend 3 to 4 years before they even hit 30 dollars an hour…
Then another few years mastering the trade before they can open their own business

This opportunity is real, don’t let this pass by.

But the apprentices who have the best experience are the ones who stay consistent when everyone else quits or changes their mind.

Your role today is apprentice, and your goal should be freedom, working towards licensure, and develop your own future… by @willmbetances

The construction 3 D’s by @willmbetances

“We need more people in the trades.”

And I get it. The skills gap is real. But I think we need to have another conversation too.

What happens to the people who already came in?

I’ve traveled across the country and met contractors who are working hard every single day. I hold them in high regard because they’re the ones who can give an apprentice their first real opportunity.

But I’ve also seen businesses where the only thing we have to offer is an hourly rate. Then, when someone leaves, we say the next generation doesn’t want to work.

Before we put that on them, we have to look at ourselves.

Are we developing as leaders? Are we teaching? Are we communicating? Are we giving people the experience and opportunity to see a future in this industry?

Some people will decide this career isn’t for them, and that’s okay. But I want us to be able to say we did everything in our power to give them a real chance.

Because closing the skills gap isn’t only about bringing more people in. It’s also about becoming the kind of leaders people want to learn from and stay with. by @willmbetances