On December 8, the most skilled electrical apprentices from across the U.S. face off for their share of $70,000 in the eighth airing of the IDEAL® National Championship.
SYCAMORE, ILL. – CBS Sports Network will air an exclusive feature of the IDEAL National Championship on December 8, 2023, at 7 p.m. Central Standard Time. This year’s electrical championship took place in Tampa, Florida, on October 27, 2023. The top ten apprentices in the nation faced off to win their share of $70,000 in cash prizes from IDEAL Electrical™ – a leading manufacturer of tools and supplies for professional electricians.
The airing will feature the most grueling and exhilarating moments from this year’s championship, with interviews from the competitors and commentary from PBS’s Scott Caron and HGTV star Chip Wade. The airing will also reveal which electrical apprentices will win the high-stakes cash prizes and who will be crowned champion. The competitions were judged according to completion of the electrical challenges with the most accuracy to the schematic, according to current National Electrical Code ® (NEC)/NFPA 70 ® code and with the highest quality workmanship. As with each prior season of the electrical competition, the challenges were judged by preeminent electrical leaders from across the nation.
In keeping with the trend of consumer demand for smart home and outdoor electrical features, this year’s competition challenges were themed, “Smart Outdoor Oasis.” The global smart home market size is projected to grow to $163.7 billion by 2028.
Established in 2016, the IDEAL National Championship was designed to celebrate and honor the electrical trade. The competition highlights the professional trades as a stimulating, rewarding and in-demand career path that provides necessary skills to keep local communities thriving. This effort remains a priority for IDEAL Electrical as part of its commitment to support the electrical trade.
Skilled trades are in demand now more than ever. Coming out of the pandemic, the demand for skilled trades has increased between 100% to over 300%. In early 2022, the Home Builders Institute (HBI) reported that 740,000 new construction workers needed to be added each year to keep up with demand.
For the electrical trade in particular, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects demand for electricians to outpace the average occupations, with a 6 percent projected growth rate in openings by 2032. In addition to those in the baby-boomer generation retiring and fewer young people entering the trades, demand for electrical consumption is growing, with EV, solar and smart home categories driving growth.
“Entering the electrical trade not only provides job security and an excellent living, but I can’t overstate how much we, as a society, need them,” said Carmen Cardillo, GM IDEAL Electrical, North America. “Electricians of the future will have to know more skills with fewer resources than those who came before them – this is just one of our ways of helping equip them for that future.”
