With the support and partnership of Choptank Electric Cooperative, the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives has announced the start of its apprentice lineworker training program on the Delmarva Peninsula.v
The eight-stage program is required for apprentice lineworkers to achieve journeyman status in their field. The first class will begin on Nov. 8.
“We’re extremely pleased to be able to bring this highly regarded training program to the Eastern Shore,” said Brian Mosier, president and CEO of the VMD Association. “This will be much more convenient for those lineworkers in this region who strive to achieve the highest status in their profession.”
The training facility is located at Choptank Electric Cooperative’s Salisbury office on Walston Switch Road in Salisbury, Md.
“This is a great partnership between the Association and Choptank Electric Cooperative,” said Mike Malandro, President and CEO of Choptank. “The Board of Directors and I are pleased to bring this important education and training program to Maryland. We are all committed to training and safety for our workforce and look forward to hosting the program locally.”
The program will be identical to the one offered at the VMD Association’s Electric Cooperative Training Center in Palmyra, Va., where hundreds of students have graduated since its opening in spring 2019.
With classroom and hands-on instruction from certified teachers, students are offered professional, accurate and valuable training. The program is open to lineworkers from cooperatives, municipal systems or contractors. Schedules will be staggered with the Virginia location for everyone’s convenience.
Mosier said plans are in the works to develop additional training at the Salisbury site for other utility workers.
For information about the program and enrollment, contact Dirrick Simmons at 434-510-4000 or [email protected].
—Report by Steven Johnson, Vice President, Communications, VMD Association