For the past several years, Texas State Technical College in Marshall, Texas, has provided SWEPCO a talent pipeline from its Electrical Lineworker Technology program.
Students graduate with the skills and knowledge needed to be successful at SWEPCO in part because the program’s curriculum is based on that at AEP.
SWEPCO has hired more than 60 graduates since 2017, and the company plans to hire a significant number from the next graduating class, said Bryan Blanton, Manager of Distribution System in Longview.
As more employees retire, SWEPCO Distribution is training a younger workforce to fill those vacancies.
“We have had huge success with being able to hire TSTC students who are from the areas we need to fill positions,” Blanton said.
Among those successes is Henderson Troubleman Nikolas Henry, who graduated from TSTC in 2017, and immediately joined SWEPCO as an intern.
“TSTC prepares you for everything you deal with as a lineman,” Henry said. “They taught me to climb, the basics of transformers and gave me a good idea of what to expect.”
He said the instructors are former linemen, so they have a good idea of what you’ll deal with on the job.
Graduates begin with a 16-week internship, then go into a three- to four-year apprenticeship program to progress into becoming an electrical journeyman. Often, Distribution supervisors visit the campus to observe students in their final semester before conducting a formal interview for the 16-week internship.
“We’re able to watch them climb poles and talk to their instructors about their skills,” said Longview Distribution System Supervisor Scott Bingham. “They get to show off what they learned over those three semesters, and they’re pretty proud of it.”
However, skills are only part of what supervisors look at during these visits.
“We want to see how interactive they are with their classmates and their attitude,” said Shreveport DSS Leslie Hedgepeth.
Are they being mindful of the safety of their classmates during exercises? How to do work as a team?
In addition, the visits allow time for students – many of whom are straight out of high school – to ask questions and learn about life as a line worker.
“A lot these students are very personable and want to get to know you on these visits,” Bingham said. “They ask about the pay, working storms and the ins and outs of being a lineman.”
Though most students are from East Texas, some come from the surrounding areas, providing potential line workers to Shreveport, Texarkana and Valley districts.