Mister Sparky offers technology, training, and top pay for new electricians.
“ We like to stay on the cutting edge,” said Matt Carlton, Operating Manager of Mister Sparky, an electrical service and repair company.“ We want to improve ourselves and the company.”
Being on the cutting edge means the company uses as much computer technology as possible in its training and day-to-day procedures. All electricians have iPads that can be used to download the latest information and standards.
“ We have 20 trucks in three locations- Northwest Arkansas, Oklahoma City and Tulsa,” said Aaron Hagan, Owner.“ We found our niche in residential electrical work.”
Out of 200 Mister Sparky franchises, Hagan owns the third largest Mister Sparky franchise in the country. The Springdale location handles all service and dispatching for the area, as well as Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Altogether, the company employs 40 people.
“ The difficult part is getting quality people,” Hagan said.“ The ones we have are high quality. I have six master electricians on the job. They have a strong technical skill set.”
The company trains its electricians from the ground up. Two apprentices are working their way up to becoming certified electricians. Twins Will and Wyatt Whatley have been working for Mister Sparky for about a year.
“ We went to college after high school, but it wasn’ t for us,” Will said.
“ College is expensive and it’ s not for everybody,” Wyatt said.
“ There are other ways to be successful in life.”
The twins are working to earn their residential electrician licenses and journeyman licenses. Earning a journeyman license involves taking apprenticeship classes and on-the-job training while working full time with an electrical company. At the end of the classes, an apprentice must pass a test to become a journeyman electrician.
“ You can learn more on the job than in a lot of classes you take,” Wyatt said.“ I’ m better with hands-on learning. In that style, you go straight from books to the job. It’ s easier to learn that way and makes more sense.”
Apprentices can get experience, schooling and be certified at Mister Sparky.
“ You can be 21 or 22 and on your way to earning $ 60,000 year,” Hagan said.“ You have to be competitive about achieving your goals. You have to be mentally driven.”
After earning a journeyman license, an electrician can progress to master electrician. Each step requires passing a test. Some require additional classes.
Rachel Caffrey also worked as an apprentice at Mister Sparky after she graduated from the University of Central Arkansas.
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