Erie trades board denies one journeyman application, clears multiple applicants to sit for exams with renewal restriction

The Erie Trades Licensing Board on July 1, 2025, denied one journeyman plumbing application and approved motions allowing a group of plumbing and electrical applicants to sit for journeyman exams, with most approvals conditioned on meeting time-served requirements and not being eligible to upgrade licenses until the December renewal cycle.

The board said the denied application lacked consistent documentation of required apprenticeship hours and raised questions about the applicant's age and whether the candidate could have accumulated the 8,000 hours the board record cites as the apprenticeship requirement. The board voted to deny that application after members concluded the submitted dates and education history did not align with the hours claimed.

Board members said the decisions matter because local licensure requires applicants to meet apprenticeship and hour thresholds that the board uses to verify competency and protect public safety. Several board members also pressed staff to include clearer documentation in future files, such as apprenticeship cards or redacted W-2s, to verify hours.

The board moved, seconded and voted on multiple individual applications rather than handling the group as a single blanket motion. For several plumbing applicants — including candidates identified in meeting documents as Mr. Rowan, Timothy Hellsley, Andrew Oosterkamp, Elijah Larson, Joseph Watts, Casey Alcebonchi and Jarrett Furno — the board approved motions to let them take the journeyman exam but restricted any upgrade to journeyman status until the board's December renewal cycle. Board members discussed that the applicants had been registered late in a prior year and, although they had completed the required classroom education, their recorded registration dates meant they would not meet the hour cutoffs until the renewal period.

The board also considered electrical applicants. Gregory Nicholson appeared at the meeting and told the board, “I did complete the apprenticeship program. I did take the test already with at, at Pearson VUE and passed it,” and submitted an IEC certificate. The board approved Nicholson’s application to pursue licensure but required payment of back apprentice registration fees for years in which he had not been registered with the city.

Board members debated verification methods for hours. One member recommended asking for redacted W-2 forms to document annual hours; the board chair said the solicitor would need to review whether the city could collect W-2s and whether redacted versions would be acceptable. Members agreed with staff that including a copy of the apprenticeship card with future applications would simplify verification.

When reading application criteria aloud, a board member noted that the paperwork states an applicant must complete a four-year, Pennsylvania board-certified apprenticeship with no less than 8,000 on-the-job hours. Members repeatedly cited that standard when questioning applicants whose schooling or employment dates appeared to conflict with the claimed hours.

The board concluded its business and scheduled its next meeting for Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, at 1 p.m.

Votes at a glance: the board denied the journeyman plumbing application where dates and hours did not align; it approved multiple applicants to take journeyman exams with the condition that they cannot upgrade to journeyman status until the December renewal cycle; and it approved at least one electrical applicant contingent on payment of back apprentice registration fees.