Evansville City licensing board approves applicants, clears AI continuing-education request and outlines testing plans

The Evansville City licensing board approved last month’s minutes and a series of licensing and continuing-education items while discussing test administration and how to grade written exam questions.

At the start of the meeting the chair called roll and, after confirming a quorum, the board voted to approve the prior meeting’s minutes. A motion to approve the minutes was made and seconded and members responded “Aye”; a formal tally was not recorded in the transcript.

The board reviewed one apprentice application for Michael d Crow. A member noted Tracy’s verification was missing from the packet; another member reported receiving an email from Tracy confirming the verification. The board moved, seconded and approved the apprentice application (vote tally not specified).

Two journeyman applications were approved. The first applicant, discussed as a Cody associated with Bridal Electric and IBW Local 252 and said to be going to work for Bright Electric, was described as having at least four years of experience and 12,643 hours; the board voted to approve that journeyman application. The second applicant, William Pinkston, listed two years in IEC and other experience; the board approved that application as well. The transcript does not record roll-call tallies for these votes.

The board also approved a continuing-education request from the Southern Indiana chapter of NECA for a course described as “Foundations of artificial intelligence for electrical contracting.” The course packet listed three credit hours in one place and four in another; members discussed the discrepancy and confirmed the course would satisfy the usual annual continuing-education requirement. A member moved and the board voted to approve the credit assignment (tally not specified).

Much of the meeting’s discussion centered on written-exam design and test administration. The chair summarized recommendations from Les Nunn for weighting question difficulty: for the journeyman test 30% easy, 50% medium and 20% difficult; for the master test 10% easy, 20% medium and 70% difficult. Members debated how to classify questions as “easy” or “difficult,” noting that some items are practical, routine tasks while others require more advanced calculations or commercial-code knowledge. The chair told members that Les Nunn’s question pool contains about “1,500 questions,” and the group discussed whether the committee or individuals should review and rank questions.

On administration, the chair explained that Ivy Tech staff would set up test takers, record start times, and that the testing program grades tests immediately so candidates receive instant scores. The chair said Kathy, the building commissioner, has limited access to the testing system and can issue licenses on the spot if the candidate’s score and required documentation (insurance, letters, hours) are in order.

Members also asked about vendor contracts for testing. The board confirmed it does not currently have a contract with Prometric and that the board reverted to a prior baseline of testing when Prometric was no longer used. Several members emphasized they want the process in place early next year so apprentices can plan schedules; the board discussed a likely timeline in which many apprentices would reach required hours by May 2025.

The chair reminded members that anyone who wishes to serve on the board in 2025 should reapply via the Evansville City boards-and-commissions portal and that members must be sworn in before Jan. 2, 2025 to be eligible to vote at the Jan. 2 meeting. The board set its next meeting for Jan. 2, 2025, at 3:30 p.m. and adjourned after a motion and an “Aye” vote.

The transcript records motions and approvals but does not include full roll-call tallies for votes. Where the transcript notes verification emails or external administration (Ivy Tech), the board relied on those confirmations in approving applications and planning test rollout.