Milwaukee Tools Apprentice of The Month - Eric Wallace

Becoming a Union electrician is about quite a bit more than pulling conductors into conduit and installing receptacles. It involves a sea change in how you view your work life, an intense journey of learning the skills and knowledge necessary to work as a professional in our field, and a dedication to your brothers and sisters that proves why organized labor is one of the most vital heartbeats of American life. This month’s apprentice of the month, fifth year Eric Wallace, fulfills all these criteria. He has also proven himself to be a vociferous advocate for our trade and how this career changes lives no matter at what point you discover it.

“This apprenticeship has afforded me to restart everything,” says Eric. “I was in a completely unrelated field and needed a completely fresh start. Not many careers will allow you the opportunity of keeping your lifestyle while hitting that proverbial reset button.”

On top of being a force in the field, Eric has also been known for being a positive and helpful student in school, always helping fellow classmates with a detailed explanation of the subject matter if they were struggling.

“Eric has always been great in class, he really cares about this,” says Brendan Nelson, fourth year instructor. “You can tell when he gets in front of a room of people how passionate he is. He always works to understand what we’re going over in class and always wants to give his two cents to help explain things.”

As to advice for lower classmen in the apprenticeship, Eric has some wisdom to throw their way: Stick with it.

“Not every day is easy, but the other side of that coin is not every day is hard,” says Eric. “There’s reasons days can be hard, whether it’s something you can control or not. But no matter what, the one thing that should always stay true is that you bring 100 percent. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like the person next to you that day, if you have to do something monotonous. At the end of the day, you’re the only one who controls your attitude and you better be bringing your best.”

For his hard work, Eric will receive a PACKOUT bag and hand tool from Milwaukee Tools and congratulations from the JATC and its staff.