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October 25, 2017
There will soon be a lot more climbing going on at Fletcher Technical Community College.
A number of students at the college’s main campus in Schriever will be learning how to climb electric poles in every day work with the chance to climb the career ladder in the future.
Fletcher is hosting a certified line worker training program for students interested in becoming line workers for local electricity companies. The training program begins in January and runs for 16 weeks, while Delgado Community College in New Orleans will have its own 25-week program. Graduates of the course will receive National Center for Construction Education and Research certification for line work and job placement assistance from the college.
Fletcher is hosting two information sessions on the training course. The first session is on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Fletcher’s BP Integrated Production Technologies Building, with the second session on Nov. 7 from 5:30 – 7 p.m. The sessions will give prospective trainees information on funding assistance for the program as well as the chance to hear from current line workers about the job. Applicants can begin the pre-assessment process, which includes a background check, drug screen and a work keys test. According to Fletcher Workforce Development Coordinator Crystal Chiasson, those who qualify to participate will be notified in December so they can do formal registration for the class. Chiasson said Fletcher will be accepting up to 15 people in the program.
Chiasson said the program came about after being contacted by local electric companies. Internal research found about 550 upcoming vacancies in line work for Louisiana utility companies due to attrition and retirement, and the industry is turning to Fletcher and Delgado to help replace those workers. Chiasson said Entergy donated $50,000 to Fletcher to get the program started, while a number of energy companies donated more than $100,000 in materials and equipment. Energy providers Diversified Services, SEC and Chain Electric donated training poles and set them up at the Schriever campus.
“It took everybody to stand up this program. I don’t think anybody could single-handedly do it,” Chiasson said. “So we had a lot of hard work put into it, and a lot of people put a lot of work into it. Our mission in workforce at Fletcher is to meet the needs of industry, and this is just the start of many programs to meet those needs.”
The program at Fletcher will run from 7:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday every week. Chiasson noted this schedule will prepare students by mimicking the schedule of actual line workers. Fletcher’s flyer for the program notes line helper salaries start at $33,000 with constant opportunities for overtime. According to the flyer, a worker could move up to a line worker and earn a base salary of $57,000 with more chances for overtime within one to six years on this job. Ultimately a supervisor, usually with at least eight years’ experience, could receive an $85,000 base salary. Chiasson said the program opens up local workers to high-paying jobs with every opportunity to rise up the ranks.
“The potential to move up just depends on the person,” Chiasson said. “If they excel in the program and excel at work, they can move up fast. The potential is there for six figures if they stick with the company.”
Chiasson said Fletcher has already received calls from locals interested in the program, noting she has not heard any concerns about the climbing to dangerous heights and dealing with high voltage on electric poles. She said the callers know what the job entails and stressed that companies have fall-protection equipment as well as experienced linemen who can preach the message of safety.
“[Students are] going to be in good hands. The biggest thing with all utility companies and energy companies is safety first, so they’re definitely going to get all the safety training that they need,” Chiasson said.
Fletcher Chancellor Kristine Strickland praised the program as another step in Fletcher marrying Bayou Region labor with industry needs.
“We are very excited to be able to partner with Entergy and the other utility companies that were instrumental in launching this program in offering the Line worker certified training program here at Fletcher Technical Community College,” Strickland said. “The opportunity for our community to access training opportunities that lead to high-demand, high-wage jobs are vital to the economic growth of our region.” •
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