EMCC’s Golden Triangle Campus offers new line worker utility program

The goal is to provide local training for jobs with local openings.

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – East Mississippi Community College’s Golden Triangle Campus is powering up a new program.

Thanks in part to a grant from AccelerateMS, the campus has started the Utility Lineworker Program.

The goal is to provide local training for jobs with local openings.

Noah Hatcher has seen up close what it’s like to be a lineman. He’s following in his brother’s footsteps and joining 13 other students from across the area in the first class of EMCC Golden Triangle Campus’ Utility Lineworker program.

“From what my brother says it’s a really dangerous job and you’ve got to be really on top of your game and just being away from home like you said and working through the night and doing whatever it takes to get the lights on,” said Hatcher.

Lineworker Instructor Bill Buckner has more than 20 years of experience behind the lines. So far, he’s starting the rookies off with the basics.

“We’ve set some short poles learning how to tie in some wire. Learning some materials and different tools they’ll be using and then we’ve gone to setting some 40-foot poles getting ready to climb starting Monday,” said Buckner.

The school was able to start the program using a grant of more than $473,000 from AccelerateMS.

The goal is to provide local training opportunities to fill local job openings.

After just a semester of classes, students will be prepared for entry-level work at a utility company, co-op, or contractor in utility construction or excavation fields.

“There’s plenty of opportunity. This year 23,500 linemen were needed to be hired in the year 2023 and that number is expected to grow by nine percent, 10% by 2026 so there are jobs out all across the united states,” said Buckner.

Bucker said it’s important that he prepares his students for the reality of the job, and that they are the ones responsible for lighting a dark day.

“There’s always going to be a tornado, there’s always going to be a hurricane, there’s always going to be a thunderstorm you know, and when you go out and these people are standing out there in their yard and every light is off in the house in the neighborhood and the lights come back on and everybody is like thank you so much and they are genuine in those thank you’s it makes you feel good. It makes it worth it,” said Buckner.

The class’ next step is to learn how to climb the poles.

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