EAST BRUNSWICK – A veteran teacher in the electrical apprentice program of the Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools (MCVTS) has been named Instructor of the Year for the United States and Canada by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).
The award was presented to Richard Shine in Washington, D.C., at the 2017 IBEW Construction and Maintenance Conference.
Shine, a resident of Milltown, worked as an electrician for almost 40 years, retiring in 2000, and has been teaching in the apprenticeship program since 1968. He is a member of IBEW Local 456 in North Brunswick, according to information provided by MCVTS.
“They gave me the award before about 1,000 people,” Shine said in the statement. “It was pretty neat.”
Matthew Walton, producer of the IBEW “Hour Power” online magazine, and his crew filmed a video tribute to Shine that included footage in his classroom on the MCVTS East Brunswick Campus.
“His dedication to teaching the next generation of workers is what America needs,” said Michael McLaughlin, president of Local 456. “We need people to rebuild the infrastructure of this nation. Without people like Richard Shine, that won’t happen.”
“He’s the gold standard for instructors,” said Assemblyman Joseph Egan, business agent of Local 456. “Everybody who has ever had him in class remembers him because he is so sincere and wants everybody to learn.”
Shine teaches first-year apprentices, who work full-time while attending classes at night.
His son, Richard Jr., teaches third-year apprentices in the program as well.
“When I first started, I figured I could give our apprentices a decent background to be a good electrician and a good person,” Shine said. “My goal for them is to be an outstanding citizen, to be a good union member and to appreciate what they have in life.”
At 77, Shine said he has no plans to retire, using his teaching stipends to take annual skiing trips and to follow the football Giants on the road.
“I’m in good shape to continue to do what I can do,” he said in the statement.
For more information, visit www.mcvts.net.