Sheppard electricians foster ties with civilian sector Published April 18, 2014 By Airman 1st Class Jelani Gibson 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Whether it's turning on the lights when you get home or answering a phone call from a family member, there's no debate electricity is ubiquitous in everyday life. On Sheppard, the electricians of the 366th Training Squadron dominate this domain. The Airmen in the squadron are hard at work making sure their electricians don't just prosper hundreds of feet in the air working on high voltage systems, but also prosper in the civilian sector once they complete their service. The 366th TRS has efforts underway to make sure electricians who transition out of the military have their experience counted and valued to potential employers post-military. Nine representatives from Southern Company, an Atlanta based energy company that owns electric utilities and services to an estimated 4.4 million customers, visited the squadron to evaluate the training they've received in their military service on high voltage systems. Putting in place a system to evaluate that experience would mean service members would not need to take as long to re-certify for skills they have already trained on. Tech. Sgt. Jason Del Duca, 366th TRS electrical section chief, teaches reliability to students when it comes to operating out in his career field. The squadron trains Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen to be certified electrical linemen. While anything above 600 volts is considered high voltage, the electricians of the 366th TRS can oftentimes find themselves operating in an estimated range of 7,200 to 12,470 volts on any given day. "When I'm up in that bucket truck working on 12,000 volts I've got to trust the guy next to me," Del Duca said. These efforts are at the heart of why the 366th TRS places such a value on their livelihood both inside and outside the military. "We have the best of the best in the military," said Master Sgt. Richard Ruebel, 366th TRS electrical flight chief. "For civilian companies looking to hire you don't get any better than what we provide." According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, veterans have a lower unemployment rate than their non-veteran counterparts, but veteran unemployment is still a topic of importance on the national scale. "Everybody departs the military at some point in time, whether it's six years in or 20 years in," said Capt. Rob Norrie, 366th TRS electrical flight commander. Norrie wants the ongoing efforts to foster ties with civilian companies to be a part of the bigger push for all potential employers to hire service members transitioning out of the armed forces. "I was very impressed by the thoroughness of the training," said David Maske, Georgia Power Company distribution manager. Maske values the discipline the military fosters as an asset which positively affects the work environment. "They are very mature, understand processes and procedures and understand the importance of working together as a team," he said. "They know the success of the team is more important than the success of the individual." When military members transition out of the military, Ruebel knows the way in which employers value job experience can play a big part in the job hiring process for a veteran. He considers joint efforts such as this as something that improves job prospects. Ruebel is confident in the unique skill set and sense of purpose military members can bring to their job. "We're the best at what we do and we'll be the best in the civilian sector as well," he said.