Wyatt Olmstead, who graduated from Jamestown High School on Thursday, will enter into a paid International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers apprenticeship after graduation. Olmstead is one of the youngest individuals accepted into the program.

Each year, Jamestown High School encourages seniors to wear apparel representing their next steps after graduation on the first Friday in May as part of National Decision Day.

For many students, that means wearing a college t-shirt or sweatshirt. For Wyatt Olmstead, it meant showing up in coveralls.

“I was like, you know what? Someone needs to represent (the trades),” Olmstead said. “Someone’s got to show that, listen, this is a phenomenal opportunity.”

This summer, Olmstead will begin a paid apprenticeship through the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), becoming one of the youngest individuals ever accepted into the local union’s apprenticeship program.

“I’m so grateful for this opportunity,” he said. “Supposedly, I’m the youngest they’ve ever accepted.”

The career appealed to him because it offered the combination of hands-on work and problem-solving.

“I wanted a job where I could work with my hands, but still utilize my head,” Olmstead said. “I wanted a job where I felt like I was making a difference and I could see my work progressing. I want to be able to look back at my work and take pride and say, ‘I built that. I designed that. That worked out for me this way.'”

Olmstead first became interested in the field through conversations with local union members Jim Hockenberry and Jim McIntyre. The profession also runs deep in his family.

“My grandfather was an electrician. My great-great-grandfather was an electrician, and my dad’s done a bit of electrical work too,” he said. “So I’ve seen it done. I’m like, ‘This seems interesting. I would like to do this.'”

The path to acceptance involved an aptitude test followed by an interview process. Successful candidates are then selected for the union’s apprenticeship program, which combines classroom instruction with on-the-job training.

And so, after graduation, he will begin working with Ahlstrom Schaefer Electric Company on July 6 — just days after his 18th birthday.

While Olmstead is heading directly into the workforce, his education won’t stop after graduation. He plans to use the Unified Student Assistance (USA) scholarship through SUNY Jamestown Community College to pursue online coursework while completing his apprenticeship.

“I’m going to go to JCC through a scholarship,” he said. “I’m going to do that online while I’m in the union. That way I can get a degree.”

Throughout high school, Olmstead challenged himself academically while remaining active outside the classroom. He completed College Connections coursework, earned membership in the National Honor Society, participated in cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track, and recently earned the New York State Seal of Biliteracy.

“I have worked hard to try to stay in that top 10%,” he said.

He credits teachers and coursework at Jamestown High School for helping prepare him for the future, including classes such as AP Chemistry with Tom Warner and Energy and Power with Daryl Damcott.

As New York State and schools across the country continue to expand conversations around career pathways, Olmstead hopes more students will consider opportunities in the skilled trades.

“I think it’s really important that people at least give the trades a chance,” he said. “I think we’re really in need and it’s a job that’s not going anywhere. It’s very secure.”

For students considering a similar path, his advice is simple.

“If you’re willing to put in the work, this field will reward you 50 times over,” he said. “This is reaping what you sow.”