Published: August 07, 2008 06:58 am            

Lineman school to hold classes next month

Local News

The High Growth Training Center or the Lineman Training Center, the first training center of its kind in Kentucky, will hold its first classes next month.

“Other training programs are conducted by utilities or electrical co-ops for in-house purposes, where we will be training prospective employees for multiple vocations in the electrical industry, telecommunications and meter reading,” said Dean Rhodes, coordinator of the Lineman Technical Center. “Our graduates will have the flexibility to be employed by multiple employers in many different locations.”

The school should help the dwindling numbers of linemen in the country.

Rhodes noted that in 1975, there were 230,000 linemen nationwide. He said by 2002, that number had dwindled to 115,000.

“Over the next five years the industry is anticipating a retirement rate in these jobs of nearly 50 percent across the state,” said Rhodes. “With reduced workforces in the past 10 years, the need for trained individuals is at an all time high.”

Allen Anderson, CEO of South Kentucky RECC, said South Kentucky RECC is very excited about the opportunity the new lineman training school presents to his company and the entire utility industry. He noted, just like Rhodes, that for a large part, most utility workers are baby boomers and eligible to retire in the next five to 10 years.

“It takes about five years to hire a physically able person and train them to be a first level lineman,” said Anderson. “In years past, a lot of linemen were trained by other linemen with on the job training, which through years of experience, we have found this type of training may not deeply imbed the electrical theory as would be done through professional training at a lineman school.

“On the job training can bring about some safety concerns and a lineman may not fully understand the theory behind why they are doing what they are doing in a particular way,” added Anderson.

Anderson said they are very proud to have the lineman training school in Somerset and Pulaski County and feel it will be a resource for all utilities across the region and state.

“The lineman training school will help fill the employment need with trained linemen that are ready to hit the ground running, which in turn save utilities money for training costs and shortens the training period,” said Anderson.

He added the school will also improve relationships among utilities by not having everyone seeking the same limited number of available workers.

Meanwhile, Cliff Feltham, with Kentucky Utilities, said they are always looking for an educated workforce and the school is an opportunity for people to take part in and get the skills they are going to need for these jobs.

“We’re always looking for an opportunity for our present employees and anybody who wants to become a future employee to advance their skills,” said Feltham. “The better prepared they can be...ultimately the better off they will be and we will be.”

“With advancements in technology the lineman is still one of the essential components in electrical service and restoration,” added Rhodes. “These factors will make our Lineman Tech Center a necessity in order to continue to provide the level of customer service we all have become accustomed to.”

Rhodes said the school will be one of only about 10 in the United States.

The initial class will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 2, at the Somerset Community College Campus South.

Class will be held at this location until they move to the Tech Center, located in the Pulaski County Technology Park off Ky. 461.

He said each class will have an enrollment of 25 people.

“With each day we are getting more prepared to start our first class,” said Rhodes. “We give much consideration and thought to each step in order to ensure the goals we have set are met.”

Rhodes said the school is on pace to be completed in December 2008. He said currently the building is taking shape and interior work is starting to begin.

“We are always looking to bring jobs to the community and the lineman training center will be an opportunity to bring some career opportunities to this area for those who are interested in the lineman career path,” said Anderson.

Programs that are going to be offered include CPR, First Aid, Safety, Care and use of Safety Belts, climbers, and tools, Voltage testers, pole testing, basic climbing skills, voltmeter use, knots and splices, use of hand lines, identification of material and distribution facilities, bucket and derrick truck operation, hurt man rescue, first responder training and basic AC theory.

Rhodes explained after phase one is offered, phases two, three and four will be progressively more in-depth training in the advanced fields of electrical line work. He said phase two will start around the beginning of 2009.

Rhodes explained that even before he began in his position in July, there had been an enormous amount of work done over the past four years to get the program up and running.

“I am truly a small piece in the puzzle, but together with the continued support of the community and the electrical utilities, private and public, success is the only acceptable outcome,” said Rhodes.

“As long as there are poles, electricity, and Mother Nature, there will always be a need for the lineman, truly, the last American Hero.”

        

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