Some people love the outdoors and are physically and mentally capable of performing at a high level, but would like to get some quick training into an apprenticeship rather than go through several years of college before working. Also, many people work their whole lives and are never satisfied with their current jobs, or they may possibly work hard for many hours in a week and still struggle to make a decent living.  This trade of being a power lineworker is not only one of the most rewarding, but also one of the most lucrative jobs offered today. The EPU Basic Lineworker Training program can be the tool you choose to thrust you into a job that most people only dream of ever attaining. You may be in high school or you may work in a factory. Whoever you are and whatever you do, once you have decided that you would like to become a power lineworker, Marion Technical College is the place for you. We will be working with employers over a considerable region to assist you in job placement. Besides this, you will actually accrue 20 college credit hours upon successful completion of the program! This will get you a great jumpstart on the road to a college degree if you would so desire, either now or later.

Terms such as “power lineworker”, “electrical lineworker”, “power lineman”, and “electrical lineman” are pretty much synonymous, while many simply refer to the term “lineman”. A power lineworker builds, maintains, and repairs overhead and underground power lines. He/she may work at a large investor owned utility such as First Energy or AEP, a local electric cooperative, a city or municipal which owns its own power lines, or possibly a contractor who works for any of the previously mentioned companies. When the lines require construction, they call upon the lineworker. When the lines require maintenance or repair, they call upon the lineworker. When the power goes out during a storm or on a sunny day, they call upon the lineworker. The power lineworker also works in the aftermath of natural disasters such as ice storms, hurricanes and tornadoes.

Lineworkers handle thousands of volts, work at elevated heights and climb wooden poles. Some tasks must be performed manually, yet they also use modern bucket trucks and digger derrick trucks to work on lines. Not just anybody can do linework, and that is why so many lineworkers have the feeling of pride, satisfaction, and comradery that comes with this job. It is hard work that can be very challenging and physically demanding at times. Although it is a hazardous job, it is only as dangerous as the lineworker makes it, and we will give you tools to guide you onto the road of safe work practices to enable you to go home to your family every evening.

The wage scales for a journeyman lineworker vary from region to region, and from company to company. They may make as little as $23 per hour in one region for a company, while the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is currently advertising journeyman lineman openings for over $42 per hour.  Currently at Ohio rural electric cooperatives, wages are hovering around $26 to $31 per hour for a journeyman lineworker. As an apprentice starting out, you can expect beginning wages at somewhere around 50% of what a journeyman lineworker makes, with wages increasing on a regular basis.

Depending on employers and conditions, lineworkers may often work some overtime or extensive overtime. It is usually compensated with either time and a half or double time wage scales, making for some very nice weekly earnings at times. Work in inclement conditions is often performed in emergency (power outage) conditions only.

You may be wondering if you have what it takes to become a power lineworker. Here are some basic areas to consider:

As stated previously, now is the time to enter into this great trade called “linework”. With power lineworkers retiring across the country, there are many openings over a wide range of avenues. We will train you to begin your career as a power lineworker in the area of “distribution” linework. This is the area of the industry where the majority of the work is and where workers are needed the most. You may end up doing “transmission” work at your place of employment also.

In this trade of “linework”, you may eventually end up working for a large investor owned utility, but most of them have their own programs. You would most likely start out with a city (municipal), a rural electric cooperative, a union contractor, or a non-union contractor. Benefits and working conditions vary from company to company, but those who have gone before you have set a standard which you will benefit from. You can be assured that wage scales will be decent wherever you would happen to go.

In the fifth and final week of the program, we will be inviting in potential employers to come in and see the students climb poles and build lines. We will schedule time for informal interviews with the students if the employers so choose.

There is a good chance that, once you have achieved employment, you will then be required by your company to go through their apprenticeship program. It is common for apprenticeship programs to continue for a period of approximately four years. Many students choose to go through a 15 week training program similar to ours and are still required to go through the company’s apprenticeship. That is part of the beauty of our program.

The training “on campus” will consist of an intensified five week course with a two week break between the third and fourth week. However, you will be expected to complete four weeks of course work prior to arriving to the campus at the designated time. The two week break will consist of additional off campus work to be completed by arrival into the third week.

The training at the school will consist of comprehensive “hands on” training mixed in with lecture in eight hour days. Along with this, each student will be expected to complete homework in the evenings, take quizzes, with a final exam to end each week.

The standard Electric Power Utilities Program is currently 11 one week courses spread out over a four year period which we offer to Cooperatives and Municipals or any other companies who send their apprentices to us for training.   The EPU Basic Lineworker Training, our program for the general public, consists of a variation of the first five of those eleven courses. This gives one of our participating companies an incentive to hire someone who has completed this program, seeing that you will already have the first years’ classes behind you. The first two weeks will be offered at the Marion Technical College campus while the last three will take place at the OREC training facilities located behind Consolidated Electric Cooperative in Mount Gilead, Ohio.

Here is the breakdown of costs for the program:

How does the program schedule look?

Here is what the schedule would look like: