March 26, 2019
Instructor Curtis Bradley demonstrates for his students the proper procedures for safely climbing a utility pole during East Central Community College’s first-ever Electrical Utility Lineman program. Registration is currently underway for the next 16-week program, which begins Aug. 5, 2019 on the Decatur campus. (EC Photo)
The East Central Community College Workforce Development Center will once again offer a 16-week program in Electrical Utility Lineman beginning Aug. 5, 2019, on the Decatur campus.
Those interested in the program should pick up an admissions packet at the ECCC Workforce Development Center by April 19 and return it no later than May 31, 2019. Participants must be at least 18 years old and have a high school diploma or high school equivalency certificate.
The cost is $1,500 per person and Curtis Bradley will serve as instructor. Classes meet from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
The Electrical Utility Lineman program is designed to prepare students for entry-level employment in the field of utility power transmission and distribution construction, troubleshooting, and repair. It is a non-credit program.
Over the duration of the class, successful students will earn certifications including a Class A Commercial Driver’s License, First Aid CPR and OSHA 10-Hour. Also, as part of the preliminary screening of applicants, an individual will obtain a National Career Readiness Credential.
The program also incorporates hands-on learning activities including making connections of meter loops, transformers, and other equipment on de-energized poles; assisting with the framing and installation of utility poles and apparatus on the ground; assisting in the burying of cable and other related work; operating vehicles and equipment safely, including bucket trucks, digger derrick trucks and forklifts; differentiating between an energized and de-energized structure and recognize hazards; making basic connections and disconnections; and checking voltage/amperes.
During the semester students will also drive commercial vehicles with automatic transmission and maneuver, back up, and park a trailer, which will require a CDL Class A Learner’s Permit with Air Brakes. A Mississippi CDL Learner’s Permit requires passage of the General Knowledge, Combination, and Air Brakes tests, along with a D.O.T. Physical and D.O.T. Drug Screen.
Prospective students must obtain a CDL Class A Learner’s Permit with Air Brakes and the National Career Readiness Credential requirement.
For more information, contact Chris Clark, workforce development coordinator, at 601-635-6245 or email cclark@eccc.edu.
