Nicci Howland, Electrical Apprentice, on Making Apprenticeship Simpler

Intro

Welcome to another episode of our Making Apprenticeship Simpler interview series, where we ask people across the apprenticeship system a single question: "How do we make apprenticeship simpler?"

In this episode, Patrick Cushing talks with Nicci Howland, who spent 10 years in a corporate office at Costco before becoming an electrical apprentice. Nicci explains why subsidized childcare would open apprenticeship to many more people, especially single parents, and how hands-on projects can get the next generation excited about the trades.

Whether you're a program sponsor, an employer or a career changer, Nicci's perspective shows two practical ways to bring more people into apprenticeship.

Highlights

1. Introduction and Background

• Nicci spent 10 years supporting corporate Costco in an office role

• She moved into the electrical industry as an apprentice and went to school full-time

• She now works in an office role but still gets out on site to see projects come to life

2. Making Apprenticeship Simpler: Childcare

• Subsidized childcare is the biggest ease point for apprentices with kids

• Without support after work hours, many parents can't take an apprenticeship at all

• Night classes and inflexible construction schedules make childcare even more important

3. Making Apprenticeship More Visible

• Engaging, hands-on activities draw people into the trades

• Give kids a project they can put their hands on in mechanical, engineering, electrical or plumbing work

4. Closing Thoughts

• Childcare support and hands-on outreach could bring in more apprentices across the board

• Meet the next generation where they are and show them work beyond a computer screen

Transcript

Patrick Cushing:

Hey everybody, this is Patrick from WorkHands, and today we're gonna do another Making Apprenticeship Simpler interview. Today I have Nicci Howland with us. Nicci, welcome. Would love to hear a bit more about your background, and then we could talk a little bit more about apprenticeship.

Nicci Howland:

Absolutely. So my name is Nicci. I have a little bit of a unique background. I spent the last 10 years supporting corporate Costco and working in an office environment with a department overseeing about $70 billion in sales annually. And I— it was a lot for me. It wasn't my vibe. I worked really hard, but I just needed something different. So I transitioned into working in the electrical industry with my husband as an apprentice, and I started going to school full-time and getting out, getting my hands dirty and learning how to make the lights come on.

Patrick Cushing:

Love it. How's it going so far?

Nicci Howland:

I love it. I've transitioned out of the field into an office role. However, I still get to go out on site. I get to see projects come to life, and it's just really exciting being a part of something that I didn't necessarily see my future in.

Patrick Cushing:

Awesome. Well, Nicci, I'm really excited about this because of your such a like distinct background coming into this. On these calls, we ask everybody from apprenticeship coordinators, government apprentices themselves, we have one question, and that single question is what drives like everything we do, which is how do you make apprenticeships simpler? So from your perspective, like background prior to the trades, now you're, you know, going through an electrical apprenticeship program, what's the thing you think we can do to make apprenticeships simpler across the board?

Nicci Howland:

Absolutely. I would say your biggest ease point is going to be subsidizing childcare in some form. There's a ton of single parents in the world, unfortunately, and whether it's a female or male, if you have kids at home and you don't have an option to be present after work, then you need some type of support. It just takes it— your opportunity completely off the table. So I think y'all would be able to get a lot more interest rate if you had some type of support for families on the outside.

Patrick Cushing:

That's awesome. That's awesome. And then one of the questions I forgot to ask you, how did you find out, like, how do we make it so that apprenticeships are more visible? How would we make it so that more kids might choose an apprenticeship like you're doing today?

Nicci Howland:

Absolutely. The thing that really draws me in all the time is engaging activities. So anytime y'all are out interfacing with kids at different levels, like getting projects that they can do, hands-on work in some aspect, whatever the category is that you guys are advertising for, whether it be mechanical, engineering, electrical, or plumbing, like having a project that you can put your hands on, get excited about learning how to learn a new skill draws everybody in.

Patrick Cushing:

Love it. Love it. So fantastic. So we got, hey, let's make childcare. I mean, that should be something across the board, but certainly in apprenticeship where you're asking to do work hours like a normal job, you're taking night classes, especially in construction, often inflexible schedules, childcare, major game changer. And if you want to attract the next generation, meet them where they're at, give them something in their hands, and get them, you know, engaged, inspire them in what they could do beyond sitting in front of a computer. So, Nicci, love it. Fantastic work. Thanks for joining us. Everybody else, we'll see you next time.

Nicci Howland:

Thank you.