For Bright Light owner Josh Deyell, going into the trades after high school was a no-brainer. Going to a university, going deep into debt for the chance at an office job just wasn’t something that interested him. He wanted to make sure he had marketable skills that would be in-demand so he would always have job opportunities. While his friends moved on to 4-year colleges after graduation, Josh chose to extend his education by enrolling in the Electrician program at Penn Commercial.
“I definitely wasn’t somebody to sit behind a desk. This was something that was a little bit of both worlds of mental and hand-on. I just thought that would be a good fit for me.”
Because nearly everything relies on electricity, Josh had no doubts that he would find work in the area.
“Whether you’re in a small town, or big city, electrical work is everywhere. You’ll always have a job,” explains Josh. “With college, a lot of my friends didn’t even get into work they went to school for. Whereas I was working while going to school here.”
For Josh, attending Penn Commercial and completing his education in less than half the time of his friends was the best course for his career.
“I had to pay the financial bill. With a trade school, it’s obviously cheaper than a four year college. And I felt I was almost guaranteed a job when I got out.”
Josh graduated from Penn Commercial in 2003. While in school, he was already employed by local company and continued on after he completed his training. Over the years, he would land side jobs after work to make some extra money. Before he knew it, he was making more money from the side work than from his full-time day job. In 2010, he started Bright Light Enterprises.
“It was basically just me and a truck,” remembers Josh.
Over the past decade, Josh has grown his business to ten full-time employees, and secured contracts with some of the biggest companies in the country.
“We do a range of work from residential to commercial and industrial. Some national retail chains that we do work for are Five Below, Family Dollar, Popeyes restaurants.”
Josh credits his time at Penn Commercial for giving him the skills he needed to succeed in the Electrician field.
“My training here was a great experience. The instructors at Penn Commercial were great. They took the time to really make sure we understood the curriculum they were teaching and at the end of the day, walked away with a good education.”
Now that Josh is running a successful business, he understands first-hand the need for skilled and dedicated employees.
“As an employer, one of my biggest hurdles is finding workers. The work is easy to get, there’s a ton of work out there. But really getting guys into your shop that know what they’re doing – you can send them out on a job, and have the proper education to perform the task.”
As a former student at Penn Commercial, Josh appreciates the education he received and believes graduates from the Electrician program are have the training and experience to succeed in the industry.
“I feel that as soon as you get out of school you can get a job. You can go straight to work.”
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