For Immediate Release
DCC ELECTRICAL-ELECTRONICS GRADUATES FIND CAREERS IN TIGHT JOB MARKET
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| Electrical-Electronics students Greg Wright, left and Jevon Daye are looking forward to starting their new careers. |
DANVILLE, VA, July 17, 2009 - Finding a job in these economic
ally-distressing times can be difficult, but not so for several graduates of
Danville Community College’s Electrical/Electronics program. Jevon Daye,
22, of Alton, and Greg Wright, 21, of Danville, are all aglow
after landing plumb jobs with Dominion Power.
“I am nervous, but I am excited too,” says Wright, who will be
moving to a Dominion facility in Fishersville, VA. “Dominion is located all over
the East Coast, so there were many different opportunities to relocate. It’s
something I never thought I would be doing.”
Daye will be heading to the Dominion facility in
Charlottesville. Both students who are just out of the two-year Diploma program
are expected to earn about $42,000 per year or about $23 per hour, plus
overtime, sign-on and other bonuses throughout the year. They are joining two
other 2009 graduates Clarence Reeves, also at Fishersville, and Charles Rooks,
who is headed to Dominion’s Yorktown facility.
Wright, son of Norman and Gail Wright, is an only child and
says he took a year off after graduating from Tunstall High School in 2006, but
his parents advised that he either needed to get a job or go to college. He
chose the latter and he’s glad he did.
“I didn’t really know anything about the electrical trades,
but I knew you could never go wrong with that or plumbing because there is
always a need,” Wright explains. “The more I learned about
electrical/electronics, the more I liked it.”
On the other hand, Daye, son of Marcella Teeters and a 2006
graduate of Halifax County High School, says his interests initially were in the
computer field, although he always liked to “take things apart to see how they
work.
“I worked in various industries and I saw that the Maintenance
people were in the most demand and seemed to make the most money. I asked them
how they did it and they would tell me to go to school,” Daye says. “That was
probably one of the best decisions that I ever made.”
Both Daye and Wright have accepted positions as Systems
Protection Technicians, which means they will be responsible for making sure the
relays are working properly. Initially, they will undergo a training period with
the company to further enhance their knowledge.
DCC’s Electrical-Electronics Technology program is designed to
provide students with a firm foundation in electricity, electronics, and
mathematics. Students receive instruction related to circuits, measurement
equipment, digital and analog devices, PLC’s, Robotics, and instrumentation.
Graduates are prepared for employment in technical positions related to
electricity and electronics in business and industry. Upon successful completion
of the program, students earn a Diploma in Electronics or in equipment
servicing. Danville Community College’s program is one of the few programs in
the Virginia Community College System that offers a diploma. Most community
colleges are now offering the much shorter, less in-depth associate degree.
George Turnbull, a full-time instructor in
the Electronics Department, says the program has recently undergone some changes
so as to incorporate personal computer upgrade and repair, fundamental and
advanced robotics, as well as microcontroller interfacing and programming.
“We have a wide range of course topics and the ability to
delve deeply into each,” Turnbull adds. “We believe that we produce graduates
that are well educated in many areas of electronics and who are ready for
specialized training which will allow each to be a valuable asset to the company
with whom they will be employed.”
He notes that Dominion Power and other companies regularly
recruit the DCC students and offer opportunities for those who are willing to
work hard, and who don’t mind leaving the Danville area.
Both Wright and Daye attended DCC, taking 12 credits each
semester, while working their full-time jobs.
“The program may seem hard, but it requires that you know what
you are doing. You need a lot of math and an understanding of it,” Daye says.
“You have to be dedicated to what you are doing because there are big safety
issues involved.”
Wright adds, “For anyone interested in this field, particularly young people, you can’t treat this program like high school. You have to want to do this. If you do, you can earn the money.”
For more information about DCC’s Electrical-Electronics Program, please contact the program office at 434. 797.8456, toll free: 800.560.4291, ext. 8456, or click here.
Copyright © 2009 by Danville Community College