Impact. It’s a powerful word, deep with meaning. Its dictionary definition is ‘to strike forcefully.’ The 2025 Alumni Impact Award winner Nicholas Learn felt the force of choosing the electrical career path and now he is committed to striking daily to better himself and build the future workforce in his chosen field.
The Ohio native grew up feeling directed to go to college to secure a solid future, but didn’t feel it was right for him. Nick says he bounced around a bit after high school with various jobs in retail, a factory, the restaurant industry, and moved to Pennsylvania where one of those bounces landed him at John E. Fullerton, Inc. in Elizabeth, PA. Nick, a 2022 graduate of IEC Pennsylvania Apprenticeship Program, is now in his ninth year as an employee of Fullerton.
He found his place.
Joining the Right Company
John E. Fullerton, Inc. is a family owned and operated company, going strong for 70 years, and now under the leadership of the third-generation owner and president, Philip Fullerton. The company’s principles of business are simple — they believe in doing a great job at a fair price. With about 30 employees, they say they are small enough to give each job personal attention, yet large enough to handle substantial projects.
Nick says that early on, the company offered primarily residential work, then breaking heavily into schools, and within the last 10-20 years has been strong in the medical field. Its location is perfect for that being centrally situated in the state, less than an hour’s drive southeast of the capitol, Harrisburg. Harrisburg hosts a large University of Pennsylvania Medical Center (UPMC) among many other hospitals, specialty facilities, clinics, and labs. Hershey Medical Center is one of the biggest campuses in the state and it’s about 30 minutes from Fullerton’s shop.
“There are about a dozen hospitals within an hour of us,” says Nick.
Nick began working at Fullerton in November of 2017 and then in September 2018, he was given the opportunity to enroll in the IEC Pennsylvania Apprenticeship Program. He began going to school two nights a week in addition to his full-time work at Fullerton.
“When I started in the field, I realized that I truly enjoyed building something with my own hands but also loved the thought process that goes with electrical work,” he remarks. “Calculations, understanding where and how code plays into what you do. I got hooked on the whole set up, except maybe the weather some days.”
Nick says at Fullerton, their goal is to mold all apprentices into foremen as soon as they are able. They look for those who are able to work independently, focus on quality work, and perform to the standards expected by the company.
“They saw I could run jobs, work quickly, and make sure the quality was there,” Nick says. “I was put in charge of projects pretty early on. When COVID hit, I was brought into the office and started working my way into my current role as project superintendent and estimator.”
He continues to step up big and has been rewarded with highly interesting work for the company. He says the estimating part is straight forward — gather information from the general contractors, architects, and engineers to bid a job.
“I’ve seen it all — from smaller $5,000 renovations to a $2.5 million school renovation,” Nick says. “I’ve bid hundred-something unit apartment buildings, hotels, and healthcare installations like MRIs, CTs, and nuclear cameras. The medical field work was a bit scary at first, a bit intense, but once you truly understand the special requirements and the additional code parameters for healthcare facilities, it’s just like any other bid but with a lot more drawings.”
Nick loves the exposure estimating provides to new systems and values learning about how some of these installations operate. A recent bid included installing a gamma knife, so Nick learned a bit about radiosurgery and how gamma radiation beams target tumors, lesions, and other conditions. The gamma knife procedure doesn’t use incisions but rather treats the affected area with gamma rays.
“I don’t totally get how it does it, but I know the process and I now know what it takes to get them installed,” he says.
His project superintendent duties run the gamut but involve filling in any gaps, communicating with all necessary parties, assisting with change orders, answering questions from the Fullerton team and their clients, and going out on any jobs that need extra hands for the short term.
“Basically, I’m responsible for putting the pieces together to make sure everything is flowing well and work is being completed at the quality expected,” he summarizes.
Nick sees a long future for himself with John E. Fullerton, Inc. as do his employers. His bosses continue to provide him with opportunities to grow within the company, the latest being more direct contact with other companies, vendors, and customers to build his network and become recognized as a key performer in the company.
Some of that has come about due to seeing Nick in action with IEC, local schools to interest people in the trade, and through his interactions with other employees.
Growing in the Apprenticeship Program
His time in the IEC Pennsylvania Apprenticeship Program was valuable and Nick truly appreciated the organization of the lessons, the focus on the code book, and especially the additional discussion and examples offered by his instructors. He didn’t like that midway through his program, COVID hit and classes were forced online.
“About halfway through, when we were studying AC / DC theory, everything shut down and we all shifted online,” Nick recalls. “I had a bit of a tough time with that but made it through and kept my grades up.”
He’s grateful for the instructors he had, especially when they got back in person and had more hands-on lessons.
“Kurt Geisinger was one of the best teachers I had, in my fourth year specifically,” Nick acknowledges. “He was really dedicated to the program, made sure the information was communicated, and always focused on whether we understood. He provided additional knowledge by bringing in field application examples, and he made sure we didn’t just regurgitate the information to pass the class but understood what we were doing. He was striving to equip us to be better electricians and not just pass the course.”
Nick’s positive experience with IEC apprenticeship found him volunteering to teach upon graduation. He began with a second-year class for his first year of teaching but moved the following year to teaching third year, which he continues to this day.
“It truly upsets me when my students don’t seem to grasp the content well because I truly want them to understand what I’m teaching, to be proficient at it, and to be able to apply the concepts to their work,” Nick states. “I want to teach them to be better electricians, not just paper readers; they need to understand why I’m teaching what I’m teaching.”
And, like those great instructors he learned from, Nick works hard to make his lessons valuable and meet student needs. He wants to help IEC Pennsylvania produce better electricians and elevate the field.
“I really push for more practical aspects and a deeper understanding of the lessons,” he says. “I want students to read the material before class and come in with questions they might have. Knowing that doesn’t always happen, I touch on the highlights, go over the important information, and delve deeper into things I often see in the field. I equip them to navigate the code book quickly and effectively and be able to understand what they are looking at. I stress note-taking and do a lot of board work or creating examples for them to walk through problems which usually involves a lot of motor calculation material. I give them ample opportunity to try to do the problems themselves before I come in to show them how to solve it. I want them to think and use the ‘I do, you do, we do’ method of problem-solving that I learned in one of our teaching seminars.”
He likes IEC and its curriculum, as he feels it is practical and always evolving. It’s built by electricians with input from former educators like Kristi Junkins, apprenticeship coordinator, at his chapter. Nick says he personally has been helped by attending instructor trainings like the one developed by IEC Chesapeake in collaboration with IEC Pennsylvania. It was in one of these trainings where Nick learned much about learning styles so that he can meet the needs of learning styles like visual, kinetic, and auditory.
“I love teaching and hope to do it as long as possible with my company, IEC, and maybe elsewhere,” he adds. “It’s exciting to engage students, give examples, challenge them to wire up stuff based off a description I give them or diagram I draw. I’m happy to explain things and reexplain them as needed so that they truly understand. I don’t give them answers; I guide them to find them themselves, so they don’t love me sometimes!”
He always is challenging himself to find new ways to reach his students. An example of this is how he approaches motor controls which is often a tough concept to understand. Nick says all students know what a switch is so he starts motor controls lessons by calling them ‘fancy switches.’
“I think this simplifies it and doesn’t scare them off,” he explains. “Now the fancy switches still take a bit of explanation but by relating it to something they know and understand we can build on that and improve their confidence and understanding.”
Being Recognized for His Efforts
It is this ability to get inside his students’ heads and strive for ways to reach them that formed the basis for his nomination for the 2025 IEC Alumni Impact Award. The application said:
“One of Nicholas’ greatest strengths is his ability to connect with students on a personal level. He fosters a supportive and inclusive learning environment, where apprentices feel comfortable asking questions, seeking guidance, and exploring their full potential. Nick’s patience, empathy, and genuine interest in the success of his students have earned him the respect and admiration of both his colleagues and apprentices alike. Nicholas’ instructional methods are innovative and effective. He consistently employs a variety of teaching techniques to cater to different learning styles, ensuring that all apprentices receive the necessary tools and knowledge to excel in their craft. His lessons are engaging, well-structured, and enriched with practical examples, allowing apprentices to grasp complex concepts with ease.”
The Alumni Impact Award honors IEC Apprenticeship Program alumni who demonstrate exceptional dedication, skill, and commitment to excellence. They have made significant contributions to IEC, both nationally and locally, by actively participating in initiatives that advance the organization’s mission.
Along with his personal commitment to being an instructor at IEC Pennsylvania, Nick points to his company’s IEC involvement as a reason he wants to contribute.
“It’s a personal choice as well as a company choice,” Nick says. “Fullerton is quite active in the community and we are heavily involved with multiple local high schools and guidance counselors. We visit local trade schools, attend back-to-school events, and go anywhere we can talk about the trade and interest potential apprentices.”
Nick loves being a part of this and he also helps the chapter at events like SkillsUSA, with the chapter’s Pre-Apprenticeship Program by running the conduit bending lab each year, assisting with code questions for the IEC test bank, setting up things online for other instructors, and doing what he can.
In his relatively short time in the field, he’s seen the growth in interest in becoming electricians. In fact, IEC Pennsylvania is seeing double the apprentices enrolling from when Nick started in the program.
“I see a lot of people looking at the trades now as a great alternative to college,” he says. “A lot of that has to do with the financial side, of course, with college being so expensive and student debt getting so high. They see trades as a way to avoid that financial risk while choosing a direction that provides financial rewards and so many career options.”
It’s proven to be the right direction for Nick and his family. He feels able to take care of his family — his wife, six-year-old son, and four-year-old and six-month old daughters.
“They’re really young now, but I’d love it if my kids decided to follow my path,” he admits. “But, of course, I want my them to pursue what they want to pursue. I want them to be true to themselves and do what they feel they want to do. It has to be their path.”
In the meantime, Nick will continue to set the stage for them by doing his part to raise a generation of great electricians.