SYCAMORE, Ill. — IDEAL INDUSTRIES, INC. will host its fifth annual IDEAL® National Championship from Dec. 15-17, to be held in Nashville, TN for the first time. Over the course of the event, electrical trade professionals and student/apprentices from coast to coast will show off their skills against their peers and compete for the chance to win championship titles and their share of over $600,000 in cash and prizes, along with recognition as an elite electrician.
The 2021 IDEAL® National Championship Finals Week is the highly anticipated return of the in-person event for industry professionals.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to host this year’s National Championship in Nashville – a city with an energy that’s already electric,” said Carmen Cardillo, General Manager, IDEAL Electrical U.S. and Mexico. “The competition will bring with it a packed schedule of adrenaline-pumping challenges that promise to be as thrilling to watch as it will be for the electricians and student/apprentices to execute.”
Attracting New Electrician Talent to Curb the Skilled Labor Shortage
IDEAL Electrical established the IDEAL National (U.S.) Championship in 2016 to highlight the professional trades as a rewarding, in-demand career path that provides essential skills to keep local communities thriving – an effort that is now more important than ever during the current skilled labor shortage across the U.S.
Labor force participation remains below pre-pandemic levels with more than three million fewer Americans in the labor force today than before the onset of COVID-19. In both April and May of 2021, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported more than 9 million job openings in the United States—the highest numbers since the BLS began reporting the data in 2000. Furthermore, according to the National Association of Business Economics (NABE), nearly half (47 percent) of respondents to its Business Conditions Survey reported a shortage of skilled workers in the third quarter of 2021 (July through September), a 32 percent increase from the second quarter of the year.
“There is no denying that we are seeing a labor shortage of trade workers in the U.S., and it is only expected to increase over the next decade,” said Cardillo. “We created the IDEAL National Championship to attract both men and women into rewarding trade career opportunities that, unlike so many other professions, can lead to a lucrative income without building any college loan debt. The Championship competition is designed to showcase the importance of the skilled trade industry for what it truly is – the backbone of our communities and essential for our growth as a nation as infrastructure ramps up around the country.”
Championship Prize Structure
Over the course of the 2021 IDEAL National Championship, 142 competitors will hone their skills for the chance to not only win more than $600,000 in cash and prizes, but also win the distinction of being one of the world’s elite electricians.
Participants can compete individually or in the Pro-Am Challenge structure featuring teams of two (one professional and one student/apprentice working together) – an exciting new take on this year’s competition.
Individual prizes include:
● 1st place: $60,000 for professionals, $40,000 for apprentices
● 2nd place: $25,000 for professionals, $20,000 for apprentices
● 3rd place: $10,000 for professionals, $10,000 for apprentices
Pro-AM team prizes include:
● 1st place: $40,000 for team plus $5,000 IDEALCash each to the competitors’ company/school
● 2nd place: $20,000 for team
The entire 2021 IDEAL National Championship Finals event in Nashville can be rewatched in early 2022, when FOX Sports 2 will air a special broadcast of the competition to celebrate and honor the hardworking men and women of the electrical trade community.
To learn more about the 2021 IDEAL National Championship, click here.
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