Published January 23, 2025

Tim Johnson knew from an early age that he liked working with his hands. No surprise there: His dad is, by Tim’s description, “a heck of a carpenter,” as is his grandfather, both of whom taught him the fundamentals. A career in the trades always seemed like his eventual destination.

But the 2024 Elk Grove High School graduate narrowed his career focus only after working through District 214’s Practical Architecture and Construction (PAC) program and a District 214 youth apprenticeship for construction and trades.

Combined, these experiences are paying big dividends: Tim recently was accepted into an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) program. This program will alternately provide classroom and on-site training, culminating five years from now in journeyman status, with all its attendant opportunities.

District 214’s PAC program has for decades provided invaluable learning experiences as students, under professional guidance, either tear down and rehab suburban homes or build new structures from the ground up. 

“I worked on the first two-year house,” Tim said of his PAC experience of demolishing and rebuilding a Rolling Meadows home. “I enjoyed it, with all the rough carpentry and demo work. Then we did electrical, dry wall and trim work. I ended up being sold on the work.”

During this time, PAC students were challenged to create mockups of work to be done. “I did an electrical mockup,” Tim recalled, “and it was a little confusing at first, but I really enjoyed it.”

At about that time, a teacher mentioned the District’s paid youth apprenticeship program, in which students, during senior year, work side by side with professionals in one of 20 career sectors. Tim’s application was accepted, and he spent his senior year juggling his time as an honor roll student and offensive lineman for the Grenadier football team with a construction and trades apprenticeship. There, he worked with District 214’s Operations Department professionals. 

“The apprenticeship really solidified what I want to do,” Tim said. “I cannot say enough about the guys I worked with. I learned a lot from them and was excited to go to work every day.” As the apprenticeship progressed and Tim mastered more of the fundamentals, he was able to take on increased responsibility, including a role in a large project to install LED lights and occupancy sensors for energy efficiency in fieldhouses and gyms across the District.

Kathy Gannon, who serves as Partnership Manager and Apprenticeship Program Supervisor for District 214’s Center for Career Discovery, credits Tim’s focus and dedication as factors in making the most of his youth apprenticeship. 

“Tim's journey as a construction and trades apprentice with D214 is a testament to his determination and passion,” Gannon said. “From the moment I met him during his interview as a junior at EGHS, it was clear that he was committed to seizing this unique earn-and-learn opportunity. Balancing the demands of senior football with his apprenticeship, Tim displayed remarkable dedication, ensuring he completed the paid 450 hours of On-The-Job Training required of the youth apprenticeship program.”

That kind of trust in his expanding abilities fostered a confidence that contributed to Tim’s application for an IBEW Local 134 apprenticeship. That program will begin in January with 11 weeks of classroom work followed by nine months of job-site work alongside journeymen electricians - a cycle that will continue until he himself becomes a journeyman, following the path of his grandfather, an IBEW electrician at an Evanston hospital.

Tim will be putting in some miles: the first IBEW classroom stint is in the Pilsen neighborhood on Chicago’s southwest side; later classes will be in southwest suburban Alsip. A small cost for Tim, who concluded “I’m head over heels about the way this has worked out.”

So, too, are the District 214 professionals who have supported him. “The D214 Operations Team, with their professionalism and eagerness to mentor, supported Tim every step of the way, sharing their expertise and fostering his growth,” Gannon said. “Tim’s curiosity, hard work and willingness to learn set him apart, and we couldn’t be prouder of his acceptance into the IBEW. Watching his career goals come to life has been an inspiring journey for everyone involved."