LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Being a lineman is an important job that keeps the power on for all of us, especially after big storms.
WDRB News photojournalist Tom Round got a look inside a program at the Jefferson County Technical College that's helping fill a shortage of lineman.
JCTC is wrapping up the first year of the Lineman Training Program, so it invited more than 20 utility and telecom companies to a Lineman Showcase on Thursday. The showcase allowed companies to see current students in action.
LG&E and KU helped launch the program by donating 20 utility poles and an equipment trailer to create the "pole yard" students can be seen learning and working with during class.
The current class graduates next week and will be ready to look for jobs. This is the fifth group to complete the eight-week course, and of the 56 people who have finished, 50 are now employed at various utility companies.
“These are great jobs," They pay really, really well, and they're not going anywhere. We need these people here in Kentucky doing this work,” JCTC President Dr. Ty Handy said.
The program serves as the starting point of a multi-year apprenticeship linesman job with a company. Graduates of the program will leave with a C Linesman rating as they work toward obtaining a CDL. This prepares them to work for a variety of companies that need line work like electrical, telecommunication and cable.
“This is fast-tracked learning into a high-paying career," said Jacob Beck, who will soon graduate the program. "That's what I'm most excited about. That's what drove me to come here."
There’s a new class every eight or nine weeks, and it’s a first-come, first-served program. They usually have 12-16 students in a class. The program is offered four times per calendar year, typically in February, May, July and September. Spots are still available for the July 2022 start date.
For information about the JCTC program, click here.
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