Move Over Bob

In honor of National Apprenticeship Week, here’s what this path actually looks like.

Not a backup plan.
Not something you fall into.
A structured, paid pathway where you:
learn on real job sites,
get classroom instruction,
and build skills that turn into a career.

This is how electricians are trained.
Through programs like PEJATC (Phoenix Electrical JATC) in Arizona apprentices complete:
8,000+ hours on the job
900+ hours in the classroom
These programs are built and supported by organizations working together, including: NECA (National Electrical Contractors Association),
IBEW Local 640 (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers),
and initiatives like Powering Arizona.
Together, they represent the contractors, the workforce, and the training systems that make apprenticeship pathways like this possible.
They don’t graduate hoping something works out.
They step into the workforce already trained.
And what doesn’t get talked about enough is what happens during those four years.
Year 1, you’re brand new. Learning safety, tools, how to move on a jobsite.
Year 2, things start to click. You take on more, you see your work come to life.
Year 3, you’re not just doing tasks—you’re thinking, solving, mentoring.
Year 4, you’re preparing to lead.
This is what a real pathway looks like when it’s built with intention.
And for a lot of people, it’s a path they were never told existed.
Presented in partnership with NECA, IBEW Local 640, and Powering Arizona.

What if this was one of the best parts of high school?

Not just sitting in a classroom or feeling like there’s only one path, but actually learning how to weld, build, design, fix things, and figure things out in real time.

This is exactly what we highlighted in our spring issue of Move Over Bob Magazine.
These are CTE programs, Career and Technical Education.

They’re high school programs built around real skills and real careers, where students split time between academics and hands-on training in fields like automotive collision, construction, engineering, and welding.

Not as a backup plan and not as an afterthought, but as a real option.

Most of us didn’t grow up seeing this. Or if it was there, it wasn’t something we were encouraged to step into.
But it’s here now, and it’s growing.

This is what it looks like when girls have access to real tools, real skills, and real opportunities early on.
This is our kind of role call. And we’re not just watching it, we’re living it. Go ladies 👏👏👏👏