A group of Roanoke high schoolers are spending time during their spring break to learn about labor unions.
On a Wednesday in April, three Roanoke high school students sit at a table and use Play-Dough to make circuits for LED lights. They’re working with Joe Brinley and Jason Dudding of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 26, who are there to tout IBEW’s apprenticeship program. This is the pilot week for a new program that aims to route high schoolers into union apprenticeships.
“Teaching them a little about the electrical and what we have to offer with our apprenticeship program,” Dudding says. “Hopefully get them a good career in the future.”…