Upon completion of Recruit Training, Sailors who pursue the Electrician’s Mate (EM) rating will spend their first ten weeks of training in the Basic Engineering Common Core school at Naval Station Great Lakes in Illinois. Here they will be introduced to the basics of mechanical theory and the principles of technical documentation. This is followed by the more specialized Engineering Electrical Core school, a month-long course that introduces students to concepts such as AC/DC circuitry, solid-state technology, and electrical schematics. Finally, future EMs are prepped for one of the two jobs in the rating—Electrical Systems Technician or Electrical Systems Maintainer—with a month of training and study at EM Strand Technical School.
But not every EM’s training and career path is the same. Some Electrician’s Mates are given in-depth training on particular types of equipment after finishing these courses, and as their service careers progress new levels of advanced technical training will become available. Regardless of the type and amount of training EMs receive, however, they can expect to spend considerably more time assigned to fleet units; over a 20-year career, they are likely to be billeted at shore stations just a third of the time.
An Electrician’s Mates scope of duties is extremely broad because they are tasked not only with the operation, maintenance, and repair of shipboard electrical power generation and related systems such as lighting, appliances, and all other equipment that relies on electrical power, but also the repair and upkeep of related electronic equipment. Unlike their counterparts who work with nuclear-powered electrical systems, EMs are not required to pass security clearances in order to begin training in the rating, but assignments to certain billets are predicated upon passing such clearances. Similarly, U.S. citizenship is not listed as a requirement, but Electrician’s Mates must be citizens to qualify for advancement to Master Chief Electrician’s Mate.