Our Instructors
The Electrical Program Instructors, William Gallant, Alec Jillson and Josh LaCosse, are developing a top quality program that is current with the needs of the business community, driven to best serve the educational experience of students, and guided by the Massachusetts frameworks.
Our instructors are excited about integrating green technologies into the curriculum, including photo voltaic installation, renewable energy and conservation, and are excited to be at FCTS and with such an enthusiasm staff, administration and students interested in a vocational education.
Instructor
Electrical
413-863-9561, ext. 242
wgallant@fcts.us
William (Bill) Gallant is a 1981 graduate of the Franklin County Technical School’s Electrical Program.
In 2000, Bill returned to FCTS as a vocational instructor, where he now focuses student education on the residential and commercial aspects of the electrical field. Students benefit from the experience and insights of a vocationally trained, licensed master electrician, who is a professional instructor with enthusiasm for his trade.
Bill holds a vocational teaching license in electricity from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, where he has also been a practicing master electrician since 1999.
Bill also holds an Associate in Occupational Technology from Greenfield Community College (1999), and in 2014 completed his second professional training as an educator at Westfield State University with a Bachelor of Science specializing in vocational education.
Bill’s electrical work in the private sector spans over two decades with stints at Yankee Electric Supply, Palmeri Electric, Griswold CATV Construction, Paciorek Electric and Greenfield Electric.
Instructor
Electrical
413-863-9561, ext. 242
ajillson@fcts.us
Alec Jillson returned to his alma mater (2009) to teach in the Franklin County Technical School Electrical Program in 2020, and is currently instructor for the shop's student field projects.
Before joining the FCTS vocational faculty, Alec worked as an electrician in the private sector. He got his start as an electrical apprentice while a student at FCTS at Palmeri Electric in Shelburne Falls, MA, and then spent three years there doing commercial and residential electrical wiring. In 2012, Alec joined Crocker Communications in Greenfield, MA where he learned industrial wiring, network cabling, and fiber optic splicing.
Alec holds certifications in OSHA basic health and safety, aerial work platform equipment, and leadership skills and conflict resolution. He is currently studying towards his masters electrician certificate and his teaching license.
Alec completed the Electrical Journeyman Certificate Program at Greenfield Community College in 2013 and is a licensed journeyman electrician in Massachusetts.
Alec is proud to form part of the FCTS faculty as an alum. He aims to instill a growth mindset and employability skills in his students by practicing empathy and patience in his teaching.
Paraprofessional Educator
Electrical
413-863-9561, ext. 242
jlacosse@fcts.us
Joshua LaCosse brings experience as an electrician, as a combat engineer and as a wrestling coach to his work on the Franklin County Technical School vocational faculty where he began as a paraprofessional electrical instructor in September 2021.
As an assistant wrestling coach at FCTS since 2017, Josh has been inspired by seeing students work hard to master skills and succeed. He hopes to bring the same passion for success and dedication to hard work that he has applied with his team to the electrical shop.
After graduating in welding from FCTS in 2013, Josh joined the US Marine Corps where he served as a combat engineer for four years. He then was an electrician for Tom Wyman Electric for five years before deciding to become an educator.
