Premier Electrical Staffing Supports CFCC Electrical Apprenticeship Program

Todd Rhodes has spent nearly three decades in the electrical trade. He began his career in 1996 with a major electrical contractor in Eastern North Carolina. He later brought that experience to Premier Electrical Staffing, where he serves as regional sales manager.

Premier Electrical Staffing provides skilled, vetted electricians and electrical workers to contractors throughout the region.

“My primary role is finding electricians, finding helpers, finding people that want to be in the trade and partnering them with our local electrical contractors so they can complete the projects they’re awarded here in our region,” Rhodes said.

Partnering with CFCC

That work has closely aligned with Cape Fear Community College’s Electrical Apprenticeship program, a partnership Rhodes says has been in place for more than a decade.

“We came on board as a partner because we have people who want to get into the trade, people who want to become apprentices,” he said. “We’re an avenue and a means for people to do that.”

Through this partnership, Premier connects prospective apprentices with CFCC’s program, supports apprentices throughout their training, and helps graduates secure job placement after completion.

“We’re a conduit, so to speak, to get people from the opportunity to the workforce,” Rhodes said. “We support them in their education and in their employment.”

Facing an Aging Workforce

Rhodes points to a growing challenge within the electrical trade, both locally and nationwide.

“Tradespeople are aging out,” he said. “You’ve got a lot of 50 and 60-year-old electricians in the field. Without younger people coming in, the trade is going to die out.”

Rhodes says apprenticeship programs are critical to meeting that need.

“The electricians who will step into foreman and leadership roles in the coming years are the students entering training programs today. We need them,” he said.

The Trades Aren’t Going Away

Even with the rise of AI, Rhodes believes the demand for electricians will remain essential.

“One thing that’s never going to go away is the need for the trades,” he said. “Somebody’s got to build the data centers that hold all of this information. Somebody’s got to help make the power come on.”

For students considering the field, Rhodes says the range of career paths is often overlooked.

“It’s not just commercial or residential,” he said. “There are solar electricians. There are service electricians. There are so many different roads you can go down within the electrical trade.”

Investing in the Community

For Premier, the partnership with CFCC goes beyond staffing needs and reflects a broader responsibility to the industry and the community.

“This is business, but it’s not always about bottom-line numbers,” Rhodes said. “As contractors and trade partners, we’re obligated to give a portion of ourselves back and invest in our community.”

Each year, Todd attends CFCC’s apprentice graduations, an experience he says reinforces the value of the partnership.

“I get proud when I go see the level four apprentices graduating,” he said. “You look at people who are getting ready to springboard into our industry, either locally or nationally. It’s good to be part of an organization that’s well run and actually cares about its apprentices.”