黑料福利社 (NPC) graduate Clayton Fagan has continued to build a successful and expanding career in the electrical industry since completing his studies at NPC.
Born in Irving, Texas, Fagan attended Nimitz High School before earning his GED at age 16 in 1994. He moved to Hot Springs in 1996 and has lived in the area intermittently, including the past 15 consecutive years in the Spa City.
Fagan鈥檚 path to NPC began when his employer, Larry Brown of All Service Electric, encouraged him to enroll in the College鈥檚 Electrical Program.
鈥淚 was 35 years old when I started school at NPC,鈥� Fagan said. 鈥淏eing that I hadn鈥檛 been to school in almost 20 years, I wasn鈥檛 sure how to even start, but the staff was super helpful in getting me started.鈥�
Since graduating, Fagan has worked on large鈥憇cale industrial and renewable energy projects across the United States, including solar installations with capacities exceeding 250 megawatts. He has earned electrical licenses in six states鈥擜rkansas, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Idaho and Maine.
Most recently, Fagan advanced into a leadership role as commissioning lead for Vale Electric鈥檚 Solar Division, overseeing electrical testing and quality assurance on the company鈥檚 largest solar project to date, which includes more than 380,000 solar modules.
鈥淚鈥檓 now in charge of all the electrical testing for the job,鈥� Fagan said. 鈥淭hat includes cable insulation resistance testing, open鈥慶ircuit voltage testing, current鈥憊oltage curve tracing, ground continuity verification, documentation and calibration. If something fails testing, it鈥檚 also my responsibility to troubleshoot and determine why.鈥�
Previously, Fagan served as a solar project superintendent, completing multiple renewable energy projects before relocating to the Pacific Northwest, where he continues to work on advanced electrical systems at major facilities, including a Walmart distribution center utilizing robotic and conveyor technologies.
鈥淢y life has definitely changed for the better,鈥� Fagan said. 鈥淚 love my job and will continue to better myself in all kinds of ways.鈥�
While attending NPC, Fagan balanced school, full鈥憈ime employment and single parenthood, working more than 50 hours a week while attending classes every Thursday night for four years. He credited his mother, Beverly Phillips, with providing critical support during that time.
鈥淚 definitely could not have worked that many hours and gone to school without my mom鈥檚 help,鈥� Fagan said.
In his free time, Fagan enjoys playing guitar, writing music, and competing in the Pok茅mon Trading Card Game, traveling internationally and qualifying for the 2018 and 2019 Pok茅mon World Championships.
Reflecting on his educational journey, Fagan emphasized the importance of perseverance and hands鈥憃n instruction.
鈥淚t鈥檚 never too late to start a career in the Electrical Program鈥攐r anything else,鈥� Fagan said. 鈥淚 was 35 when I started at NPC. The program was great, and the instructors didn鈥檛 just teach the Electrical Code. They helped with real鈥憌orld job questions and shared tricks of the trade that made a difference.鈥�
Looking ahead, Fagan hopes to retire within the next 15 years and fulfill his long鈥慼eld dream of traveling the world, a goal he credits in part to the foundation he built at 黑料福利社.
For more information about NPC鈥檚 Apprenticeship programs visit np.edu/Apprenticeships.