FORT DIX, N.J. — The Army relies on electricians to provide the power needed to do tasks like lighting Army installations, operating power tools and running computers.
To meet this need, instructors from the 80th Training Command and the 102nd Training and Maneuver Support Brigade teach the 12R Indoor Electrician course to Army Reserve, National Guard and Regular Army soldiers at the Army School System Training Center in Dix year-round, regardless of weather conditions.
Sergeant William Smith, an instructor with 1st Battalion, 108th Regiment, 1st Brigade, 102nd Infantry Regiment, teaches 12R training at TTC Dix. When not under orders teaching Army training, he works as a civilian residential and commercial electrician in his hometown of Lexington, South Carolina. He has been a civilian electrician for about 12 years, the same amount of time he has been teaching the Army Reserve Electrician Course.
Smith says his experience as a civil electrician helps him refine the 12R Education Program, or POI. He explained that the POI serves as a blueprint for what they teach and the methods used in teaching.
“The focus point in this interior electrician training gives us as trainers the basic standards, but then we add our own personal experiences to the focus point,” Smith said. “By doing that, we enhance the learning value that the students get from this training. We give them things that they might encounter outside of the classroom, making them more well-rounded electricians.”
Smith explained that they teach Soldiers basic math, like fractions, for the residential side, and a little more basic math for the commercial side. The in-house electrical instructors also teach wiring techniques, switches, outlets and junction boxes; troubleshooting electrical circuits; working with blueprints, schematics and specifications; and installing conduit, switches, cable, light fixtures, outlets and service panels.
To ensure safety procedures are followed, instructors teach soldiers how to test circuits and systems to make sure they are working properly. If a problem arises, students learn how to identify the source of the problem and fix it.
According to Sergeant 1st Class Daniela Serrett, an instructor with 1st Battalion, 80th Regiment, 1st Brigade, 102nd Training Division, instructors start with teaching the basics of electricity before moving on to more complex concepts and skills.
“One of the first things we teach them is how to read schematic diagrams,” said Serrett. “For example, we draw what a single-pulse light switch looks like on paper, and we also hold the real switch in their hands to compare it side by side. We use crayons to show them how the circuits work.”
One of the course’s criteria, Seretti points out, is not to ignore color. To make the course more engaging, instructors use colored pencils to highlight key elements of the training for their students.
“You have to differentiate between red and green to be an electrician, so what if you connect a wire the wrong color? It won’t work,” said Serrett. “We draw circuit diagrams and use markers to highlight the different parts of the circuit. Our students really love this and find it very helpful. They enjoy coloring, and it helps their learning.”
Born in Newburgh, New York, Serrett has been a 12R instructor for about a year. She enjoys seeing the fruits of her labor, knowing that she is providing ready, highly qualified in-house electricians for the Army Reserve mission.
“It’s a lot of fun teaching these little soldiers. When they learn all this stuff in electrical training, they realize this moment. The moment of inspiration comes when they put it all together and something starts to pop into their head, and they go, ‘Aha!’ Of course, inspiration is kind of a funny pun for us who work with electricity.”
One of the fundamental principles they teach is basic mathematical calculations, Serrett explained.
“You know, when you were a kid in school, you probably didn’t think math was that important,” Serrett said. “However, it is important if you want to be an electrician. This course doesn’t require you to know a lot of complicated math, but if you’re thinking about doing this training, you should at least know the basics of math.”
Speaking about his role as an instructor, Smith explains how teaching Soldiers to become skilled interior electricians contributes to the Army Reserve’s mission.
“Without knowledgeable instructors, we won’t have well-trained Soldiers who are ready to go out and complete missions,” Smith said. “Teaching this course is important for Soldiers to have a foundation to build on throughout their careers. Highly skilled instructors are absolutely essential to having a combat-ready force.”
