Few projects have been more successful than the Power Line Worker Training School at Southside Virginia Community College, developed through the members of the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives.
The program is helping electric utilities by bringing new recruits into the industry as older lineworkers retire, and leading to good-paying jobs in rural communities.
The first of its kind in the commonwealth, the pre-training school was launched through a public-private partnership between the VMD Association, SVCC, the Virginia Community College System; the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education and the Rural Virginia Horseshoe Initiative. It is some 300 graduates strong and growing.
Recently, several students who have gone through the program thanked the VMD Association for scholarships that helped to defray the cost of their education. We appreciate the students and the staff at SVCC that took the time to put together this video presentation.
—Report by Steven Johnson, Vice President, Communications, VMD Association