popularity of lineman program for students...

SEC Member Newsletter January 2016

Popularity of Lineman Program for Students Grows

Long%meSouthsideElectricCoopera%ve (SEC)employeesTroyBurgessandBradAshwell like tellingpeopleaboutwhattheydo.Burgess,alinetechnicianwho’sworkedforSECfor10years,andAshwell,a line technician supervisorwith 18 yearswith the Coopera%ve, con%nued their involvementwithSEC’spopularDayintheLifeofaLinemanprogramlastfall.

Atthebeginningofthecareer-explora%onsessions,BurgessandAshwellsayfew, ifany,ofthehighschoolstudentsraisetheirhandswhenaskedifanyonewantstobeanelectricallineman.Bytheendof the four-hour programs,which include lecture and hands-on ac%vi%es, Burgess andAshwell saymost,ifnotall,ofthestudentsraisetheirhandstothesameques%on.

“It’skindofgra%fyingtoknowthereasonthey’vechangedistheinforma%onwe’vegiventhem,”saysBurgess,whoworksoutofSEC’sAltavistaoffice.AddsAshwell,whoalsoworksinAltavista,“Thattellsmetheclassisworking.”

Carol Hutchinson, SEC’s training coordinator and coordinator of the Coopera%ve’s appren%ceprogram,saysthoseresponsesfromthestudentshappeneach%meaDayintheLifeeventisheld.

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SEC Member Newsletter January 2016

Theprogramprovidesinforma%ontohighschoolstudentsacrossSEC’s18-countyserviceareaaboutapossiblecareerop%on.Theprogram isnotmeant todiscourage thestudents fromcollegeor someotherlineofwork.It’saimedatleQngthemknowaboutajobtheymightnothaveconsidered.

ScoSDiggs,whoworksasalinetechniciansupervisorintheCoopera%ve’sPowhatanoffice,recallshedidn’thaveanopportunityliketheDayintheLifeprogramwhenhewasinschool.Hesaystherewerevoca%onalprograms,butnotsomethinglikethiswherestudentsgetthechancetolearnfromactualemployeesandgethands-onexperience.Hecallsitan“incredibleopportunity.” Diggs,who’s beenwith SEC a dozen years, helpedwiththeprogramlastfall.

AddsBurgess,“HadIknownwhenIwasaseniorinhighschool,Imighthavechosenthiscareerpaththen.Iwasoneofthosekidswhodidn’tknowwhichwayI’dgo.”

Paul Webb, a district opera%ons supervisor in SEC’s Dinwiddieoffice,likesthattheCoopera%veispartneringwiththeschoolstopromoteacareerasanelectricallineman.Webb,who’sbeenwithSECsince1982andhelpedwithaclassathisofficelastfall,enjoysshowingthe interestedstudentswhata linemandoeseveryday.Hesaysit’saprofessionthatwillalwaysbeneeded.

Lastfall,123studentsfromnearlytwodozenschoolspar%cipatedin Day in the Life of a Lineman at SEC’s Crewe, Powhatan,Dinwiddie and Altavista offices. Some 325 students have takenpart since the program started in 2014. The brainchild ofSEC President and CEO Jeff Edwards, the program reflects theCoopera%ve’s commitment to educa%on, job crea%on and thecommunity.

BesidesBurgess,Ashwell,DiggsandWebb,B.K.RedfordandGregAyers,linetechniciansupervisors;ColeOwen,alinetechnician;andBlakePoindexter,anappren%celineman,helpedteachtheeduca%onsessionslastfall.Hutchinsonsetsupandpar%cipatesinalloftheclasses.

At each class, the students, who receive SEC caps and other souvenirs, hearfrom Coopera%ve staff about what linemen do, including working on overheadand underground lines, seQng poles, felling trees, opera%ng heavyequipment,clearingright-of-wayandrestoringpoweraderstorms.

“The people we serve, our members, that’s who we think about in those%mes(storms),”Burgesssays.“It’swhenweworkthehardest,butit’swhenwewantto.”

Thestudentslearnaboutthefour-yearappren%ceshipprogramlinemengothrough,skills theyneed,historyof theprofessionandgeQngacommercialdriver’s license.They hear about the compensa%on linemen earn and the outlook for the career,whichisgoodbecauseoftheexpectedre%rementsofolderlinemenandmorepeoplewan%ngelectricity.

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Line Technician Troy Burgess tells Daniel Taylor, a Bedford Science and Technology Center student, about some of the everyday work of an electrical lineman.

SEC Member Newsletter January 2016

“This is one of those jobs that’s going to stayhere,” saysHutchinson,whohasspentcountlesshoursdevelopinganddeliveringtheprogram.Shesays she hears from parents, grandparents,par%cipants and the schools about how muchtheyappreciateDayintheLifeofaLineman.Shesays knowing the career program is making adifference in the students’ lives brings a specialfeeling.

Hutchinsonnotesthatbeyondtheintroduc%ontobeing an electric lineman, the class touches oncrea%ngaresume,goingforaninterview,makingeye contact when talking to a possibleemployer,havingafirmhandshakeandotherjob-relatedskills.

“Allofthatwetakeforgranted.ItcanreallymakeadifferenceingeQngajobornot,”shesays.

Donning hardhats and safety glasses and goingoutsideader lunch, SECemployeesdemonstratehowtheyclimbpolesandusetoolstomake linerepairs.Studentstryonthe lineman’sheavytoolbelt and rubber gloves and get a chance tomakepretendrepairs.

Safety,atopthemeforSEC,isstressedthroughouttheprogram.

“Iloveit,”BedfordScienceandTechnologyCenterelectricityinstructorAaronPayne says of Day in the Life. “I can’t wait to get here and exposethesestudentstoanotherop%on.”Paynebroughtabout15ofhisstudentstoaclasslastNovember.

SEC and other Virginia electric coopera%ves are working with thestate’s community college system on the Power Line Worker TrainingSchoolthat isscheduledtoopenthisspringatPickeSParknearBlackstone,Virginia. Prospec%ve students interested in the school should visitwww.southside.eduorcall434-292-3101.

For more informa+on on SEC’s Day in the Life program, go towww.sec.coop/DayintheLife.

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Line Technician Supervisor Brad Ashwell assists Kwamez Austin, a student at the Bedford Science and Technology Center.