High school athletes routinely hold signing ceremonies when they announce where they will play in college. Brent Fatzinger sees it every year in football-mad Canton, Ohio, home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

So, the chief financial officer for Abbott Electric, a longtime signatory contractor, thought something similar should be done for incoming members of Canton Local 540's apprenticeship class. He discussed it with local officials and NECA's North Central Ohio Chapter.

They came up with a better idea than a news conference or a signing ceremony: an NFL-style draft in the Hall of Fame itself.

In June, for the third consecutive year, the Canton Electrical JATC announced who was selected for this year's apprenticeship class. Similar to the way NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announces teams' first-round picks in the league's player draft every April, the event highlighted each apprentice drafted by the JATC and which one of the IBEW Local 540 signatory contractors they would begin their apprenticeship with.

The apprentice draft used the same jingle that indicates a pick is in at the NFL Draft, followed by the JATC announcing the apprentice selected, and they were celebrated as they made their way to the stage.

The process was repeated as all 28 available apprentices were chosen by the 10 signatories on hand. Pro Football Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas gave the keynote speech. The Buffalo Bills legend owns a contracting business in western New York that employs union workers.

"The game of football is ingrained in the DNA of this country," Local 540 Business Manager Erik Hann said. "Something football fans like to do as much as watch the game of football is watch the NFL Draft. They like to visit the Hall of Fame. So we created an event modeled after the NFL Draft at the Hall of Fame."

Technically, the hirings were made beforehand, but the draft-style announcement and ceremony allowed all the apprentices to be honored by their union brothers and sisters, the local politicians in attendance, and family members and loved ones.

"Everything we've done is centered on trying to pump people up and get them excited about the beginning of the apprenticeship, helping them realize what an amazing opportunity this is," said Jason Walden, executive director of NECA's North Central Ohio Chapter.

Walden has seen that firsthand. He began his career in the IBEW-NECA industry as an inside apprentice in Cincinnati Local 212. After completing his apprenticeship, he went on to be a foreman, project manager, JATC instructor, JATC training director and contractor before moving to northern Ohio to lead the NECA chapter.

"I've been very lucky to see our industry from a lot of different vantage points," he said. "I wanted to create an environment that would get the apprentices, their families and our community excited about the opportunities ahead of them."

Sure, it isn't sports. But like in college and pro sports, getting accepted into an IBEW inside local's apprenticeship program is a highly competitive process.

Hann noted that representatives from high schools in the area were in attendance, which will help them better inform students about careers in the trades. Fatzinger said he was touched when a mother of an apprentice thanked him because her son couldn't participate in a high school graduation ceremony. He earned his degree at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I felt like the people that were there, when they walked out of that room, they felt like they were part of something special," he said. "They were proud of their son and daughter to be involved in this program.

"The local newspaper makes a big deal when a kid signs a letter of intent to go to a [local college] to play lacrosse," Fatzinger added. "Well, the kids coming into the apprenticeship are getting a full scholarship to participate in our programs. That's a big deal."

Another inspiration for Fatzinger came from watching the IDEAL National Championship on television. In that annual skills competition among electricians, IBEW members usually dominate.

He also was impressed with how NFL quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, now with the Los Angeles Rams, has made appearances over the years with his father, Tony, in support of the skilled trades. The elder Garoppolo is a retired member of Chicago Local 134.

"It made me realize we can have a great event," he said. "It's all about football and excellence. We can make a big deal of it."

The apprentices themselves range from recent high school graduates to professionals with long careers in other fields before deciding a switch to the trades was a better fit.

"Fifteen years ago, when I was in college, I really wish I would have considered this route more," Local 540 apprentice Matt Barker said. "To join a union like this, that brotherhood, is not something you're going to get in every office job."

Thomas' message to apprentices was much the same he used to prepare himself during a career that included four Super Bowl appearances.

"Dream it," he said. "Believe it. Make sure you go to the meetings. Make sure you do everything you can do to be the best you can be."

The Pro Football Hall of Fame was a fitting site for another reason. Local 540 members have been heavily involved in work there for years under a project labor agreement, including at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. They have also worked on the Hall of Fame Village's adjoining hotel; water park; retail district; inflatable dome; and Centennial Plaza, a $12.3 million project in downtown Canton that was finished in 2021 to celebrate the NFL's 100th anniversary.