WANTED- Veterans for hazardous duty, extended periods away from home, unforgiving work conditions in extreme weather. You will be challenged physically and mentally to attain the title Journeyman Lineman.
This is a paid pre-apprenticeship opportunity for Veterans within 5 years of their end of service. Must have an honorable discharge and the ability to get a Class A CDL with no restrictions.
Journeyman Lineman are the individuals that build and repair power distribution and transmission systems throughout the country. To become a Journeyman Lineman, you must first apply and get accepted into an accredited apprenticeship. The apprenticeship is typically 7000 hours broken into 7 steps with 1000 hours per step. These hours are paid on the job training performed in a progressive fashion. First you will help from the ground, then you will work on the pole close to danger and finally, you will work on energized lines under the tutelage of a qualified Journeyman.
As you learn more about this trade you are going to hear about Utilities, Co-Ops, and Contractors.
A Utility is your local power company. They own the equipment from the power plant to the end user, either commercial or residential. They have Lineman that work for them directly, but they don't typically have enough to maintain their equipment or build new systems.
A Co-Operative is a customer owned company that delivers power to a rural community. They have the same challenges that the utility has in that they don’t typically employ enough personnel to maintain their equipment nor build new systems.
A Contractor is a group of Journeyman that travel to different locations to perform maintenance on and build new distribution and transmission systems for communities. They are also the ones that travel out of the area to do storm work. When a catastrophe strikes and the power grid is damaged by extreme weather or man-made disasters, these men and women travel to that location to restore the power grid, typically working for days and weeks at a time in austere conditions and for their efforts, they are paid handsomely.
This program is exclusively for Contractors and is a pipeline designed to get you into an IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) apprenticeship. There are nine (9) IBEW apprenticeships in the country.
AJAETT- Includes the state of Alaska
ALBAT- Includes the states of Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virgina, Maryland and the District of Columbia.
CAL-NEV- Includes the states of California, Hawaii and Nevada.
MOVALLEY – Includes the states of Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Wisconsin
MSLCAT- Includes the states of Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, Utah
NWLINE- Includes the states of Oregon, Washington and parts of Northern California
NEAT – Includes the states of New York, New Jersey, Maine, Delaware, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.
SELCAT- Includes the states of Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Florida
SWLCAT- Includes the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas
To become an indentured apprentice, you have to apply to the apprenticeship and pass an interview. You will need to have a class A CDL with no restrictions and be prepared to travel throughout the jurisdiction of your assigned apprenticeship. You might be able to do several steps of your apprenticeship in one generalized location, but it is not realistic to think that you will be able to do both “cold” (de-energized) and “hot” (energized) work without travelling distances to get to where there is applicable work available.
With each step of your apprenticeship, you will do a form of distance learning on your own that we call "Bookwork" in the trade. You'll be tested on this bookwork every six months and will have to maintain passing scores as well as be signed off by the Journeyman you are apprenticing under.
The seven steps of your apprenticeship will occasionally be interrupted by the necessity of performing storm work in other parts of the country. This is construction and you will also have to navigate lay-offs and other calamities such as budgeting constraints, material shortages and even politics. The only people that can successfully navigate these apprenticeships are those individuals that plan ahead, live within their means, and remain flexible.
Once you finish your apprenticeship and “Top Out” as a Journeyman Lineman, you will earn your ticket and be able to travel throughout the world performing your craft for communities in need. You’ll be paid extremely well, work outside, work with your hands, and belong to a rare group of individuals that have earned the title Journeyman Lineman.
This work is also inherently dangerous and not for the faint of heart. You will be required to work in all weather conditions and spend months away from home. It is not a job; it is a lifestyle. If this does not sound like it is for you, do not apply.
If you are interested, visit www.in2veep.com to apply for the Veteran Electrical Entry Program (VEEP). VEEP is a pipeline that trains qualified and specially selected veterans to attend a 16-week pre-apprenticeship program at the Lazy Q Line School in La Grange, Texas. If selected to attend, you will receive free room and board, climbing equipment and hand tools, and receive paid training for the duration of your stay. You will work 6 days a week, 10 hours a day for $18/hour. With overtime, your take home pay is around $5000/month. Nothing is taken from your GI Bill benefits.
In addition to the training you receive here, you will also do your first year of bookwork that, depending on which apprenticeship you apply for, will be accredited towards your apprenticeship. You will also receive approximately 800 hours of training that if applicable can give you the opportunity to get advanced placement into the IBEW apprenticeship. This is the only program in the country that offers this benefit.
You will have two (2) breaks after week 6 and 12 where you can travel home to visit family. Travel to and from the training facility is at your expense, driving or flying. While you are attending this program you will not be allowed to leave the training facility, departure will only happen on scheduled breaks. Everything that you could need is provided. A state-of-the-art gym, dining facility, and entertainment in the likes of shuffleboard, pool tables, outdoor recreation and fishing are all on site. There are no TVs in your rooms as you will want to limit the distractions from your studies. A partnership is maintained with a local store that you can order whatever you might need from town, and you can also order whatever you need online to be shipped to you.
This opportunity sounds like it’s too good to be true, but again, not everyone gets in. If you are selected and you graduate, we will help you get indentured into the apprenticeship of your choice. In some instances, you might have a job immediately following graduation with one of the Quanta Operating Units as a groundman while you wait for the apprenticeship to have an opening.
Many veterans will apply, but few will be invited to attend. If you think you have what it takes to answer this calling, apply today for the next available cohort. You can apply up to six months from your discharge from the military as we run two classes a year. Our spring cohort starts the first week of March and graduates mid-June. Our fall cohort starts the first week of September and graduates in mid-December.
Most of your questions can be answered on the website www.in2veep.com. To apply, select the Outside Lineworker Program and submit the applicable paperwork. A representative will be in contact with you as it gets closer to the cohort you apply for.
There is an inside electrician program that is separate from this one. Any questions about that program can be answered on the website.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $37.19 - $39.53 per hour
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
Work Location: On the road
