Veterans Benefits for Training

Veterans Benefits for Training

At Watson Electrical Construction Co LLC, we value the honorable sacrifices that our veterans made to serve our country and welcome veterans who are looking for new career opportunities.

We offer various training and development opportunities tailored for veterans to help them acquire new skills and knowledge needed for work in the civilian world. These opportunities include safety training, apprenticeship programs, and leadership development initiatives. We recognize that the military environment can be vastly different from the workplace. Therefore, we strive to create a supportive and welcoming work environment that allows veterans to thrive with us.

Your Military
Training & Experience

Your military training and experience could qualify for NCCER credit towards our electrical apprenticeship program.

Are you considering a challenging and rewarding career in the trades after your military service?  Are you ready to be trained by the best?   If so, Watson Electrical is the place for you!

Watson Electricals’ apprentice program is a 4-year, curriculum-based, hands-on program consisting of approximately 600 hours of formal classroom training combined with 8,000 hours of on-the-job (OJT) training over the course of 4 years. Our apprentices work under the supervision of experienced trainers and field supervisors on multiple commercial construction sites.  Upon competition of our program apprentices are more than ready to take their place as a Journeyman Electrician in our ranks and move on to our Contractor Management Training (CMT) program, where they are trained for 2 additional years in positions of increased technical responsibility like Electrical Estimating, Project Management, and Electrical Supervision. It is the most comprehensive program you’ll find in the industry and our record of success speaks for itself.

Because our program is registered with the department of commerce in NC and VA, the US Department of Labor, and the Veterans Administration, eligible veterans are able to utilize their GI Bill benefits while enrolled in our program and receive that compensation in addition to the pay and benefits they receive as a full-time Watson Electrical employees.  Our curriculum is NCCER accredited (National Center for Construction Education Resources), so the training our apprentices receive at Watson is recognized nationwide.

Apprenticeship and the GI BILL

The Watson Electrical Apprentice Program is registered with the VA so eligible veterans can activate and draw their GI BILL while enrolled in our program.

There are payment differences when you utilize your GI BILL for OJT and Apprenticeship vs. attending traditional college that you need to be aware of, so please visit Veterans Affairs, On-the-job training and apprenticeships to find out how your benefit will work for you as a Watson Electrical Apprentice.

Enroll Today!

Candidates are first onboarded as Electrical Helpers and required to take and pass an Electrical Apprentice pre-test with a passing score of 70% or better. They are then enrolled in our program and registered for courses. This is the quickest way into the program and is open year-round. In order to become an Electrical Apprentice in the traditional format candidates must:

  1. Contact Watson Recruiting at 252-299-0842 or Eric Emde
  2. Submit an online application from our Careers page.
  3. Interview for an apprentice position and be selected.
  4. Complete pre-employment background and drug screening.
  5. Complete and submit a Hard Hat Heroes transcript review for NCCER credit at http://veterans.byf.org/.
  6. Submit supporting documentation:
    • High School Transcript or Diploma
    • Transcripts from any and all colleges attended
    • DD 214 or NGB22 d. VA Certificate of Eligibility (for GI BILL participants)
  7. Obtain the required Electrical Helper tools from the pre-employment tool list we provide.
  8. Take and pass the Electrical Apprentice pre-test with a score of 70% or better and receive a supervisor’s recommendation.