Lineworker Pre-Apprenticeship

Position yourself to compete for a rewarding career in Utah's growing energy industry by enrolling in SLCC's Lineworker Pre-Apprenticeship Program! Developed in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy and industry partners, including the Intermountain Power Superintendents Association, individuals are prepared with a solid academic foundation needed to compete for positions as

Electric Lineworker
Substation Technician
Metering Technician
Power Plant Operations
Electrical Maintenance Technician

Many energy jobs in Utah require completing an apprenticeship and journeyman certification. Individuals completing the program improve employment competitiveness when applying for highly sought apprenticeship positions. Through classroom learning and hands-on lab experience, participants acquire valuable skills that prepare them for entry-level positions and enhanced knowledge and skills to further employment opportunities for those already employed.

Courses begin each August and February. Instructors with significant industry experience teach in the program. Courses include Electrical Theory, Transformer Basics, Print Reading, Electrical Distribution Systems, Underground Distribution Systems, Pole Climbing, Ropes, and Rigging.

Occupation Summary

Tasks

Adhere to safety practices and procedures, such as checking equipment regularly and erecting barriers around work areas
According to electrical diagrams and specifications, test conductors to identify corresponding conductors and prevent incorrect connections
Open switches or attach grounding devices to remove electrical hazards from disturbed or fallen lines or facilitate repairs
Climb poles or use truck-mounted buckets to access equipment
Drive vehicles equipped with tools and materials to job sites
Identify defective sectionalizing devices, circuit breakers, fuses, voltage regulators, transformers, switches, relays, or wiring, using wiring diagrams and electrical-testing instruments
Install, maintain, and repair electrical distribution and transmission systems, including conduits, cables, wires, and related equipment, such as transformers, circuit breakers, and switches
Dig holes, using augers, and set poles, using cranes and power equipment
Place insulating or fireproofing materials over conductors and joints
Install watt-hour meters and connect service drops between power lines and consumers' facilities

Tools & Technology

Tools used in this occupation:

Conduit benders — Cable benders; Hand benders; Hydraulic benders; Power benders
Pneumatic hammer — Air hammers; Ground rod drivers; Jackhammers
Power drills — Concrete drills; Gas drills; Hammer drills; Hydraulic drills
Voltage or current meters — Current leakage meters; Digital recording amp meters; Digital voltmeters DVM; Insulator testers
Wire or cable cutter — Cable cutters; Hydraulic cutters; Insulated cable cutters; Ratchet cutters

Technology used in this occupation:

Electronic mail software — Email software
Inventory management software
Office suite software — Microsoft Office software
Spreadsheet software
Word processing software

Skills

Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Operation Monitoring — Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Troubleshooting — Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Complex Problem Solving — Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Operation and Control — Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Quality Control Analysis — Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Knowledge

Mechanical — Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Physics — Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

Abilities

Arm-Hand Steadiness — The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Multilimb Coordination — The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Control Precision — The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Manual Dexterity — The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Finger Dexterity — The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.

* Information on this page was provided by CareerOneStop & ONET Online

Wages & Employment Trends

Employment Information

Utah Occupational Report for Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers

Lineworker Employment Statistics

Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers Statistics - Provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

The Future of the Electric Power Industry

In 2010, over 22,000 Utahns were employed by the energy and natural resources industries.
Over 42% of Utah’s technician-level workforce in substation management, metering and line technology will retire in the next five years.

Related Occupations