Today In Mississippi

Electric co-ops plan for retirements
by fast-tracking lineman training

By Michael Callahan
Electric Power Associations of Mississippi Executive Vice President/CEO

Students graduating from high school this month face choices that will impact the quality of the rest of their life. It’s time for grads to get serious about a career, whether their immediate plans are to enter a university or the workplace.

I have a suggestion: The electric utility industry offers a vast array of career choices, and prospects for employment look good.

Electric utilities across the country will face a wave of retirements in the coming years. About half the nation’s 400,000 power industry workers, mostly baby boomers, will become eligible to retire in the next five to 10 years, according to an article in USA Today.

Our challenge will be to recruit and train their replacements—and quickly.
Some careers at electric power associations require a four-year degree, such as electrical engineer.

But some don’t. The job of lineman, for example, is one of the better-paying jobs of any kind not requiring a traditional college degree, plus it offers opportunities for advancement. It appeals to people who like to work outside, and with their hands.

And most folks don’t have to move away to do it; electric power associations offer stable, long-term employment in small towns and rural communities throughout Mississippi.

Being a lineman is a physically demanding job that not everyone can do. It requires the ability to climb utility poles in all kinds of weather. And it can be dangerous; lineman often work on energized power lines and are front-line responders during emergencies like Hurricane Katrina.

So, how does one become a lineman? In the past, a new hire would spend years on the job learning skills and safety procedures from experienced co-workers. But now, with more retirements looming, there’s a way to fast-track the basic training for qualified applicants. Four of Mississippi’s 15 community/junior colleges offer specialized electric lineman training, an intensive program that condenses a couple of years’ worth of job experience into about 16 weeks of hands-on training. Graduates are having no problem getting job offers, and their employer provides further training beyond the basics.

The lineman training program was initiated by electric power associations and electrical contractors seeking a ready source of qualified job applicants. Community colleges, active in workforce development programs, jumped on board. This business/college partnership resulted an effective program for producing qualified line workers ready for immediate employment.
In August, Holmes Community College will join Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Pearl River Community College and East Mississippi Community College in offering lineman training.

As demand for electricity soars, the need for skilled workers will become even more crucial for the electric utility industry. Mississippi’s electric power associations are taking steps now to ensure an adequate, qualified workforce right here at home.

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Electric Power Associations of Mississippi
P.O. Box 3300 Ridgeland, Mississippi 39158-3300 phone 601.605.8600 fax 601.605.8601