South Louisiana Community College will cut the ribbon on its new Power Lineman program on Thursday, Feb. 7 at its Acadian Campus. The event will happen during a Business After Hours program held in conjunction with the Acadia Parish Chamber of Commerce. The event starts at 5 p.m. with the ribbon cutting set for 6 p.m.
LUS, CLECO, SLEMCO, and Entergy have partnered with SLCC’s Corporate College to offer this program in Acadia Parish. The industry partners have shown their support through the donation of equipment needed to train local Certified Line Workers.
The program would train students to build, repair, and maintain electrical systems for private and public utility companies. Students would get safety training and also hands-on training – including framing and building overhead lines, bucket truck operations, and extensive free climbing and hitch-hiking.
Students will earn a Level One NCCER Power Line Worker certification upon successful completion of the program.
Approximately one-half of the nation’s electrical line workers are expected to retire within the next few years. In Louisiana, the need for linemen is projected to increase 16% from 2012 to 2022. The average salary for an electric line technician in this state is nearly $25 per hour or just over $50,000 per year.
“We know there’s a need for linemen now,” said Jermaine Ford, SLCC’s Associate Vice President of Economic and Workforce Development. “We’re excited to partner with these companies and bring this program to SLCC’s Acadian Campus.”
Anyone interested in enrolling in this program can contact SLCC’s Corporate College department at (337) 521-9028 or at workforce@solacc.edu.
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