In Cranston, Rhode Island - Robert Cruz is devoted to his job as Training Director at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 99/National Electrical Contractors Association’s (NECA) Joint Apprenticeship Training Center. "It's the best job. I change lives every day. I teach people ‘how to fish,’" said Cruz - who had a rough childhood, spending part of it in foster care - one reason he's committing his professional life to this. "My whole mission is to be the person I needed to find when I was a kid," he said. Over the years, thousands of people have been trained at the Joint Apprenticeship Training Center. Apprentices go to class two nights a week. They don't pay tuition, so there's no big loans to pay off in the end. When they graduate, they'll make about $61 an hour to start and $122 an hour on Sundays, plus benefits. Their education is funded by Local 99 and NECA. Somebody believed in Cruz along the way and got him into a training program. Today, he's doing the same for others. "I love what we do," Cruz said. "This is God's work."

For More On This Apprenticeship And Training Labor News Story, Go To: Apprentices learn to be electricians at Joint Apprenticeship Training Center And Our Facility | IBEW Local 99