When Dominic Nolan took the helm as business manager of San Mateo, Calif., Local 617 last year, he had a set of office keys, a backlog of paperwork and only the faintest idea of what to do next.

"When you're first starting out in this job, there's no way you can know what you're getting into," Nolan said. "I'd already been a business representative for seven years, and it was still overwhelming."

But Nolan had help. Instructors from the Education Department at the International Office guided him through the recently revamped New Business Manager Training program. Activities focusing on campaigning, organizing and contract negotiations weren't just academic, Nolan says. "I was able to put what I learned into practice when I handled my first negotiation. "

In less than a year on the job, Nolan bargained with employer Bombardier to secure a five-year contract for 55 Local 617 members working for the company, including four extra vacation days and decent wage increases throughout the life of the contract.

"I was apprehensive at first," Nolan said. "But then that training kicked in and helped me get our members what they deserve."

Success stories like that drive leaders in the Education Department to constantly refine and reinvigorate their teaching strategies. First formed in 1988 under International President J.J. Barry, the department runs various training programs, including Construction Organizing Membership Education Training (COMET) and Code of Excellence Training and Steward Training. The department is now going through another growth spurt by assigning seven International Representatives working out of the department to coordinate, streamline and maintain similarity with all trainings across the U.S. (Canada will not be affected by the restructuring.)

"This is a monumental change," Education Department Director Jan Schwingshakl said. "Having the quality personnel that we do, it's easier to carry out President Hill's objective of offering rigorous and comprehensive training to educate leaders and members of the IBEW."

Part of the group of new trainers, International Representative Debbie Harget knows that consistency is the watchword for success.

"We need to reach out to locals in areas that don't have the same density as, say, the Northeast," said Harget, who services locals in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and part of Texas. "This restructuring shows that everyone is equally important and that everyone needs the same level of education. We're going to be doing a better job of getting everyone on the same page."

With a worker-friendly president and Congress, "it's definitely an exciting time to be getting out the message for the IBEW," Harget said.

Nolan met newly elected Vallejo, Calif., Local 180 Business Manager Dan Broadwater at last year's New Business Manager Training. The two have maintained a strong working relationship since, calling each other frequently to discuss issues such as how to better communicate with rank-and-file members in their respective locals.

"The more we are able to share our stories, the more effective we will be as leaders," Nolan said. "This strengthens the union and the membership at large."

Broadwater emphasizes the need for clear communication. "The trainers from the Education Department reinforced the fact that transparency with all the members is extremely important, " he said. "It's better to give members too much information as opposed to keeping it all to yourself. The more information members have, the better decisions they can help you make."

Nolan, Broadwater and Harget all see the new changes in the Education Department as key to maintaining union strength from the ground up. "We're not a 'top down' organization," Broadwater said. "We need to hear from our rank and file so that we can make constructive choices. They're the foundation of our union. They're the reason we do what we do."