SC Technical College System Foundation awards final portion of $1 million Duke Energy grant to expand lineworker training
May 26, 2020
The SC Technical College System Foundation awarded the final allotment of the $1 million Duke Energy grant to expand training opportunities for much-needed utility lineworkers across the state.
As Duke Energy and other utilities build the smart-thinking grid of the future – and the industry adapts to an aging workforce that will retire in the coming years – thousands of jobs will be created and filled. The backbone of the workforce is the certified utility lineworker.
The SC Technical College Lineworker Grant Program was designed to help meet the need for skilled lineworkers and focuses on filling the ranks for existing and new industry demand. To date, the grants have funded existing lineworker programs or helped create new programs at the state’s technical colleges.
In 2018, Horry-Georgetown Technical College (HGTC), Tri-County Technical College (TCTC) and York Technical College (YTC) received grant funds to expand their programs and meet this challenge. Each organization received additional funds to further their programs this year.
“These funds have served to significantly expand our offerings and provide skilled workers to the utility industry,” said Dr. Tim Hardee, SC Technical College System president. “Partnerships like the one we have with Duke Energy provide the foundation of our mission. Our goal is to ensure business and industry have the talent pipeline they need to be successful today and in the future.”
The utility industry had identified a need for 500 lineworkers a year for the next five years and are working to build a talent pipeline.
“The utility industry is changing at a rapid pace, and we must increase the talent pipeline for lineworkers here in South Carolina today to keep up,” said Mike Callahan, Duke Energy’s state president for South Carolina. “Investing in programs that recruit and train this valuable workforce will reap benefits for the industry both immediately and in the years to come.”
Through the Lineworker Grant Program, HGTC, serving Horry and Georgetown counties, doubled their enrollment by significantly increasing student capacity. In addition, the college enhanced curriculum and purchased needed equipment, including pole top rescue equipment, live line tooling and other crucial items to train as lineworkers.
TCTC serves Anderson, Oconee and Pickens counties. The college started its Power Lineworker Program last fall through the grant funding and is currently working on expanding its offerings and capacity. The entire first graduating class of the program gained employment in the industry. Sixty percent of the February 2020 class was extended employment offers before completing the program.
The college hosts a Power Lineworker Rodeo, a valuable networking opportunity designed to showcase and demonstrate student skills for local area employers. “I really enjoyed the hands on aspect of the program. We had the opportunity to not just learn on how it’s done but to physically do it,” said Igor Goretoy, a February 2020 Power Lineworker graduate.
Serving the three-county area of Chester, Lancaster and York counties, YTC recently transitioned their Power Lineworker Program from a non-credit certificate to a credit certificate. The new credit certificate provides a pathway for an associate degree in management with Utility Lineworker specialization. Thirty-two students successfully completed the initial credit certificate, 14 of which were dual enrollment high school students slated to graduate this May.
About SC Technical College System
Comprised of 16 colleges located strategically across the state and two internationally-renowned statewide programs: readySC™ and Apprenticeship Carolina™, the SC Technical College System is dedicated to furthering economic and workforce development in South Carolina. As the state’s largest higher education system, the SC Technical System educates more of our state’s undergraduates than all the other public higher education institutions combined. Dedicated to making a quality higher education both accessible and affordable, the System plays a key role in educating and training South Carolina’s workforce for the in-demand, high-skilled jobs of today and tomorrow. Learn more about the System by visiting www.sctechsystem.edu.
