There are more than 11,000 positions open for electricians in Kentucky, according to recent data.

An apprenticeship program through Jefferson County Public Schools aims to plug the gap.

More about that in today's Education Matters report.

We are training and educating 22 JCPs students that are in the electrical pathway program through the academies model.

The students have been the last two years.

They've been training and being educated by the schools and the family program.

So this is their next step into entering the electrical industry and actually the workforce, and getting job placement with some of our members.

You know, we've got highly qualified, experienced instructors, that actually teach in our program.

Our four year program.

They're getting that type of education and training, and experience, but are also going to be able to be here in this facility that is built specifically for, training electricians, where when they actually transition into the workforce, they're going to be well prepared and be successful electricians and where they can perform highly in their jobs and also do those jobs very safely.

We do a lot of hands on and well, I don't know, I just was like, well, this is actually exciting.

Getting to do the work is more exciting than just reading about it.

And, wiring and stripping the wire.

I don't know, it just I don't know, I feel like a close connection to it or not.

Like working hands.

A lot better than actually staying in the classroom, flipping through pages, reading all this.

And, I guess that's connected.

This is more than just like electrical, I tell you.

This is like life experience.

Your home, your own home.

You don't have to hire electricians, you know, you know, to fix your part of the electrical track.

So starting your sophomore year of high school, you, you know, start to learn stuff.

I think for me, I think the, courses basic, electrical wiring or something like that.

But, you know, you learn from your sophomore year all the way up until senior year, you learn all kinds of different stuff.

And then if you, you know, are interested in the three years that you graduate, you decide that you want to stick with that, then, you know, you can fall back, you know, on that going into the next.

It I'm saying is they can graduate from this program in four years and be debt free.

And while they're here in this program, they're working full time.

So they're already, you know, they're already getting pay.

They're getting their health insurance, they're getting benefits.

They're also growing within that company.

And a lot of the students, after they get done, they'll go on to become foreman or project managers or even own their own companies.

So the quality of living is great.

I mean, right now it's projected that an electrician right out of school is going to make anywhere from 60 to $80,000 a year.

Most of the, you know, the bigger guys that I've talked to that have been in the trade for a long time.

That's one of the things that they always mention is that, you know, no matter where you go, what time you know how old you are, you'll always have a job in the trades.

So, so there is a high demand for, electricians.

We have folks that call us daily looking for electricians.

We have members that are looking for help, that just really help them keep up with the work that's out there to bid on.

There's like a lot of opportunity, a lot of money in this industry, and there's a lot of demand too.

So part of the demand is the more employees people have is going to be a better economy.

You're looking at two future electricians.

Yes, sir.

That's coming in the program.

Cheers to them.

Jefferson County Public Schools is working in partnership with Independent Electrical Contractors of Kentuckiana, and the team Group, who provided funding for the program.