In our final Apprentice of the Year spotlight, we are featuring Todd Wilson, a 2022 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) graduate and now a Substation Electrician at Kearny.
Todd Wilson is proud of two things, being named one of the IBEW 2022 Graduate Apprentices of the Year and being married to his amazing wife, Nicole.
“I’ve been happily married since 2015, and I have to thank my incredible wife for all of her support and understanding,” said Todd. “This apprenticeship requires an immense amount of dedication and time away from your family and having the right person supporting you every step of the way is incredibly important.”
To get to this point, Todd explains that a lot of hard work and dedication went into accomplishing this endeavor. “I first became an Electrician Assistant by completing a six-week qualification course where I learned the basics of substation work and become a qualified steel climber. I held this position for about six months. Once becoming an apprentice, I spent three years rotating every three months between the various crews at Kearny, each specializing in specific aspects of substation work and each with unique challenges, equipment, and technical knowledge to absorb. I also passed various classroom modules where I learned technical data and gained hands on experience, completed rubber glove/hot stick school while simultaneously completing the three-year college night school course.”
“As Todd’s Supervisor and being a part of the Electrician/Apprentice program here at Kearny, I have seen Todd’s skills and talents being one of his driving forces of his overall success,” said SDG&E Construction Supervisor Scott Decker. “Todd’s dedication to learn the Substation Electrician trade shows in his quality of work and the pride he takes in producing a superior product.”
Todd says that the various positions he’s held at SDG&E have helped place him where he is today. “Working in different departments, during my 17-year career at SDG&E, has allowed me to experience meter reading, collections, line assistant and equipment operations. I believe that starting from the ground up and acquiring different skills over the years has given me the confidence to take on the demanding role as a Journeyman Electrician.”
Todd understands that being an SDG&E Journeyman Substation Electrician carries with it a huge responsibility. “My team and I are responsible for building, maintaining, trouble shooting and repairing high-voltage transmission and distribution substation equipment across all of SDG&E territory. I am currently on the Doble crew specializing in power factor analysis testing to ensure insulation and electrical integrity of high voltage power transformers,” explains Todd.
Todd’s Supervisor says that “Todd has a vital role in electrically testing power transformers for SDG&E and interpreting the results to keep our electrical system running. He holds this responsibility due to his dedication, work ethic, and overall knowledge he shares with his fellow employees. I’m proud of his accomplishment and I look forward to his successful career here at Kearny,” explains Scott.
Achieving the goal of becoming a Journeyman is just the beginning. “Now the in-depth learning and understanding of this trade truly begins. My goals now are to continue advancing my knowledge and sharpening my skills in order to ensure that my coworkers and I go home to our families safe every day.”
Todd says when he first started his journey, prior to working at SDG&E, he wasn’t even aware that a career as a Substation Electrician even existed, “but now I couldn’t see myself doing anything else.”