Meet Jeff Thompson, electrician team leader at GM’s Factory ZERO plant in Detroit. Thompson has been working at GM for 17 years across four different manufacturing facilities.
Factory ZERO’s vehicle production line relies on skilled trades leaders like Thompson to keep things moving and team members depend on Thompson’s calm-under-pressure leadership style and his knack for troubleshooting to make the impossible happen.
Road to GM
Thompson didn’t land at GM by accident. His dad worked at the company for over 30 years, working in electrical repair at Pontiac Truck and Bus from 1979 until he retired.
Thompson shared his father’s love of tools, troubleshooting, and fixing things. In high school, he took machine shop and small engines classes. But like most high schoolers, he wasn’t exactly sure what he wanted to do – until he saw the career opportunities available in skilled trades.
“When I saw what trades members do in their day-to-day life, I thought, ‘I want to do that too.’ So, I talked to a few people to figure out how to get there,” Thompson says.
In 2008, Thompson made the decision to pursue his passion for the trades by continuing his father's legacy and applying for a job at GM. He was hired as a manufacturing employee in Pontiac, Michigan.
In 2016, Thompson signed up for the GM-UAW Skilled Trades Apprenticeship Program to become a skilled trades journeyperson. Today, Thompson works at Factory ZERO as a skilled trades electrician.
Apprentice to technician
Electricians like Thompson can become skilled trades apprentices through GM’s pre-apprenticeship educational pathway, the Skilled Trades Apprenticeship Readiness Certification (STARC). After successfully completing STARC, candidates can apply for placement in the GM-UAW Apprenticeship Program in manufacturing or engineering, where they will complete related classroom courses and on-the-job training in manufacturing or engineering.
For Thompson, manufacturing was the clear choice.
“My apprenticeship was roughly four years long, and about halfway through, I really started to build confidence in myself,” he says. “I could see that my training was starting to pay off, and I was retaining a lot of the knowledge that I learned. “
After his apprenticeship was complete. Thompson received his Department of Labor Apprenticeship Completion certificate and journeyperson's card and was ready for a career in skilled trades. GM’s Romulus Propulsion Systems plant was his first assignment as an electrician.
Today, Thompson works at the Detroit-Hamtramck Factory ZERO plant – home of the GMC HUMMER EV and Chevrolet Silverado EV – where he supports vehicle production.
"My job is to provide support if there are delays on the line. We pride ourselves on our ability to troubleshoot and solve problems.” he says. “Sometimes that involves replacing wires or switches on our machinery – whatever it takes to get the line moving as quickly and as safely as possible.”
Why trades
Today is National Skilled Trades Day: a celebration of America’s dedicated skilled trades professionals. GM employs almost 7,000 skilled trades professionals across our U.S. footprint and trains another nearly 28,000 service technicians across our dealer network.
For Thompson, working in skilled trades brings a chance to solve a problem or tackle a new challenge every day.
“I could see myself becoming that person who could fix a downed piece of equipment or identify a tooling part to replace – and the manufacturing environment is so dynamic,” says Thompson. “It's awesome to see raw metal become a finished vehicle."
A career in skilled trades not only offers a fulfilling career for electricians like Thompson, but it also provides a life for him and his family.
“I have two kids, and there was a period of time where I needed to be home with my wife,” he says. “GM’s parental leave allowed me to do that, and I didn't have to worry about the financial burden of taking time off to be with my family after childbirth.”
His advice for others considering this path? Go for it.
“Anybody who's thinking about applying to GM and joining skilled trades – whether you want to get into an apprenticeship, or you ‘re already a certified journeyperson, jump in and do it. It's a great path.,” he says. “If you’d have told me in high school that I’d be where I'm at today, I would have never believed you.”
Learn more about a career in skilled trades at GM:
- Get started by joining GM’s apprentice talent community.
- Learn more about STARC and available courses through Penn-Foster.
