Tri-County receives Duke Energy Grant to develop, implement Power Line Worker Training Program
March 25, 2019
Tri-County Technical College officials and community partner agencies gathered March 20 to announce details about a $200,000 grant from Duke Energy to develop and implement a Power Line Worker Training program.
Representatives from power and electrical companies agreed the need is now for the program which will serve as a pipeline to provide qualified applicants for these in-demand power line worker jobs.
The program curriculum includes American Heart Association/CPR First Aid training and courses in National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) core, Power Line Worker Levels I, II and III and the Power Line Curriculum with the option of adding Commercial Driver’s License (CDL).
The grant will cover startup costs of the program, including equipment and faculty.
Attending the meeting were community partners and future employers, Duke Energy, Blue Ridge Electric Co-operative, Easley Combined Utilities, Pike Electric, Seneca Light and Water and Sumter Utility, all of whom wrote letters of support for the grant and will serve on the program’s advisory committee to guide the curriculum in the future.
All are looking for new hires – ranging from 4 to 111 — over the next several years and agree this program is a great segue way.
Graduates of the line worker program would come in with basic skills and would continue to build on them through the companies’ apprenticeship programs.
“We are in a hiring boom, said Keitha Sherrill, of Duke Energy. “This program is a great entryway for us and could take six months of training off of our plate.” She added they could hire 111 qualified line workers today.
Others noted they could hire between 5 and 40 today, depending on the number of impending retirements and turnover.
“We have 10 on our line crew, and some are near retirement age,” said Robert Lance of Seneca Light and Water Company. “We need quality people at the utility level — individuals who will go the extra mile and give good quality customer service with safety always in mind.”
Others added are looking for applicants with a positive attitude, good work ethic and a passion for the work.
Dr. Rick Cothran, dean of the College’s Corporate and Community Education Division, said there is a critical need for workers to fill middle skills jobs – those that require more than a high school education but less than a four-year bachelor’s degree. These jobs may require an associate degree, certification, occupational licensing or apprenticeships.
Middle skills jobs like the new certification power line worker program are in high demand. Tri County Technical College offers multiple middle skill development programs to obtain national certifications that can lead to employment, added Dr. Cothran.
Representatives agreed this is a lucrative field, with persons having the opportunity to make five- and six-figure salaries within a few years.
“We are always looking for new ways to change the dynamics of persons’ lives,” said Dr. Cothran.
Classes will be held at TTI building on Highway 28 in Anderson, which now serves as the Enterprise Campus for Tri-County and Anderson County’s training needs.
Classes are tentatively scheduled to begin in April.
For more information, contact Amy Littleton, [email protected]; training coordinator, Corporate and Community Education Division at Tri-County Technical College.
