Interview: Dave Dressler, Minnesota Statewide Limited Energy JATC

Minnesota Statewide Limited Energy JATC, a nonprofit program that trains men and women to work in the burgeoning low-voltage energy industry, hardly missed a beat after the COVID-19 crisis brought much of the economy to its knees. The program has its main facility in Fridley, but it trains workers across the state. When the state closed schools in response to the crisis, Limited Energy quickly adapted its program to ensure that training would continue in line with state guidelines. “We were only down for one week, and it was the definition of a team effort,” says Dave Dressler, who heads the program, which is sponsored by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the National Electrical Contractors Association. In the following interview with Reporter Brian Johnson, Dressler talks about his rise through the ranks in the low-voltage sector, the demand for new workers in the field, and the challenge of continuing training amid the worst health crisis in more than 100 years.