“I strive to be the best electrician I can be and that isn’t going to change.”
Meaningful words from Matthew Spencer, Page Electric in Lexington, KY, and instructor with IEC of the Bluegrass. Matthew’s dad is an electrician, but Matthew didn’t immediately choose the trades path. First, he attended and graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2019 with a bachelor of science degree in agricultural economics with a minor in business. While searching for jobs in that field, he joined the company of a friend of his dad’s and discovered he liked electrical work and the future it held. He entered the IEC Apprenticeship Program and began his journey.
“In my second year, I was hired by Page Electric LLC, another member of IEC of the Bluegrass, and I finished the IEC Apprenticeship Program working there,” he says.
Class Sealed the Deal
Matthew found IEC Apprenticeship Program classes to be the perfect complement to his field work with Page Electric. He says the instructors he had during the program were very helpful to him and each seemed to have a special area that clicked with what he needed.
“One really pounded code material into the lessons and that allowed me to pass my journeyman exam on the first try,” Matthew reports. “Rusty Page, Jason Wade, and Brandon Slover were very helpful in my journey as being a resource in the field if I had a question — they went above and beyond. Jason was my first-year instructor and really helped me hone into my skills of bending conduit and ways to do the math and tips for difficult bends like 3-point saddle bends. Slover really embraced the concept of real-world applications and how this information is useful and that the trade never stops evolving and there is always room for learning.”
Rusty was Matthew’s second year instructor and Brandon his fourth year. At Page Electric, Matthew’s typical days consist of doing service calls, working on new residential construction projects, installing Tesla chargers, doing commercial and residential remodel jobs, managing and teaching apprentices, and meeting with inspectors.
“My days vary depending on what is scheduled for me,” Matthew says. “I have one to two apprentices with me most days, and I enjoy teaching them to become better electricians. I am a firm believer that you get out of whatever you put your mind to and that you can achieve anything if you try.”
Page Electric is a full-service, licensed and insured electrical company headquartered in Lexington, KY, providing residential and commercial services throughout Kentucky and Ohio. The company works with homeowners, and small and large companies, including home builders, contractors, and factories and prides itself on providing superior customer service, efficiency, and quality. Page Electric is 11 employees strong and currently has 5 apprentices in the IEC of the Bluegrass Apprenticeship Program.
“I like seeing a project come to life,” Matthew says. “Whether it’s a remodel or bare-bones new construction, you lay it out and design it all. You say I want certain lights here and there, and you’re given the task of getting it done. Then you see all your hard work and planning and timing. You wanted it to look this way, and then when it all comes to life is the most satisfaction of all. You’re proud to say ‘I did this.’”
Matthew talks of the satisfaction of helping the customer. He cites one example is at a home of a couple way out in the country. The husband is on oxygen and he said it felt really good to tell the wife that with this generator she would never have to worry about power going out.
Back in the Classroom
That desire to help others be the best they can be sent Matthew back to the classroom at IEC of the Bluegrass. Well, in a way, he never left. During his fourth year, chapter Executive Director Rebecca Barnes asked Matthew to help with career fairs, recruiting events, the IEC Open House, and expanding the school’s labs and hands on activities. His second-place finish for chapter Apprentice of the Year found her acknowledging his excellence in the program as a student and her further request for him to become an instructor following his graduation.
“I accepted as I enjoy seeing people be curious and asking questions about things,” he says. “I just started teaching 1st year apprentices this fall. I enjoy seeing people grow and become better and better each day. It’s gratifying when you see someone giving 110% on something that they struggle with until they become efficient.”
“Matthew is a GREAT example of what IEC embodies as a whole,” says Rebecca. “He is a graduate of IEC of the Bluegrass, works for a contractor member of ours, is a leader on his team, and now teaching first year for the IEC of the Bluegrass.”
Matthew acknowledges that math, maneuvering the code book, print reading, and ladder logic / diagrams are some of the hardest skills to teach. He says he is always learning in the field every day and that helps him get experience with code changes and what is enforced, plus all the new technology emerging as the industry keeps growing. He can then pass these learnings along to his students, just like instructors did for him when he was a student. He says he’s learning as he goes and each class challenges him to figure out his approach. He says one of the first labs he taught was a bit chaotic, but he made it work.
“A lot of people just had no idea what to do; it was hard,” he says. “Everybody was grabbing for me from all angles so I could have used an extra set of hands! I just kept walking around and checking people’s work and asking the others to hold on and that I’d be with them soon. There were 22 people in the lab.”
Matthew says he took the time needed with each student, answered their questions, advised when something looked wrong, and gave them information on how to do it correctly. It was a great learning experience for him as well. He’s settled into a good routine for his two nights a week of teaching.
“IEC taught me that college isn’t always the answer. There are needs and demands and being in a trade is a wonderful career,” Matthew shares. “No matter what was said about it when I was in high school where they pushed me to go get a 4-year degree, I would tell people considering an electrician’s career to not be afraid to get dirty or be in tight places. There is no better feeling than completing that new house, or that big commercial project, or putting up that very expensive decorative light that is in 10,000 pieces! Being an electrician allows you to always use your imagination and creativity to find new ways to make things easier and electricians never stop learning.”
It is why he also is committed to continuing to help the chapter at career fairs or other events to interest young people in the trade. He says he always brings along some hand tools or items where the students can wire up plugs and see the steps and understand that these skills can be learned. He loves answering their questions, explaining the benefits of an apprenticeship, and showing them the financial benefits of this career path. Rebecca also invited Matthew to join two chapter committees – Membership and Program, as well as Apprenticeship and Education.
Working in a trade also allows you opportunities to pursue interests, a benefit Matthew himself enjoys.
“I enjoy spending time with my family as I have three step children and two of my own,” Matthew states. “I enjoy watching sports, playing golf, hunting and fishing, and traveling. I visited eight states in the past two years!”