General

Finding OPPD’s future lineworkers

It’s a sweltering afternoon in the back training yard at OPPD’s Elkhorn Service Center, and pressure is starting to build.

Already, 15 aspiring OPPD line technicians have climbed poles, rescued a “hurt man” dummy dangling from a pole, and tied dozens of complex knots while leaning awkwardly back into their harnesses 10 feet in the air. A team of seasoned line technicians and managers, known as the Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (JATC), scrutinizes their every move.

Now, the candidates for an apprentice line technician job have to work together to tear down a long row of power lines, transformers and pole crossarms, then reassemble it all.

“You guys will probably be a little sore in the morning,” says Aaron Mercer, a JATC member, manager of OPPD’s Papillion Service Center and a former line technician. “That’s OK. That’s what they make Epsom salts for.”

A big challenge

OPPD’s Apprentice Line Technician Boot Camp isn’t for the unfit or the faint of heart. Over three muggy, sunbaked days, members of the JATC study each candidate to see who has the best technical finesse, attention to detail and communication skills.

The evaluators watch closely for signs of fatigue or sloppiness to ensure everyone stays safe.

Every candidate gets the same scrutiny: Can they climb properly? Follow directions? Do they show a good attitude and a willingness to learn and help, even when evaluators are yelling to amp up the pressure? If they don’t understand what to do, do they stop and ask (as they should) or put their heads down quietly and follow the crowd?

Some applicants are fresh out of school and hoping for a job at OPPD. Others are on their second or third attempt to qualify for the highly competitive lineworker apprentice program. Of the 45 candidates who volunteer for the boot camp – 15 each day – only 12 will get offers.

And that’s just the beginning. Once hired, OPPD apprentice line technicians begin a four-year stretch of hard work, study and hands-on learning to become journeymen in their trade. Those who make it will become part of a select, highly respected community that helps ensure reliable power for everyone.

A practical job interview

OPPD started the boot camp after managers realized that traditional job interviews alone weren’t enough to gauge a candidate’s skill and ability to operate under pressure. Applicants with strong resumes might interview well, for instance, but struggle on the job.

Now, OPPD uses both. Candidates who enroll in the lineworker boot camp have to perform for the JATC under stressful conditions. Between drills, they interview one-on-one with a manager in a nearby office.

“We want to see how they perform,” said JATC member Ernie Ross, a field supervisor at Papillion Service Center and a former line technician. “Can they follow instructions? Are they listening? Do they remember what we just showed them? Are they afraid to ask a question?”

Instructors watch for safe, efficient climbing technique, usually the result of intense practice.

“The only way to be a good lineman is to be in those (climbing) hooks,” said JATC member Ray Knott, area supervisor at OPPD’s Louisville Center and a former line technician. “You only get good at what you’re doing by doing it.”

Training for all scenarios

One drill takes place in a circle of eight utility poles, all connected by a rope about 10 feet off the ground. Eight candidates strap into their harnesses.

Mercer gives the instruction: “Climb up, do two unders to the right, and then I want you to stretch out as far as you can and tie a square knot. Is that clear?”

“Yes, sir!”

Up they go, one step at a time, leaning back into the harnesses wrapped around their hips. Their gaffs – sharp steel spikes strapped to their boots – plunge into the wood, giving them traction to climb. Thick leather belts, known as a buck squeeze, hug the pole with enough friction to keep the candidates from falling.

About 10 feet up, each candidate circles the pole counter-clockwise until they encounter the rope in their way. Then they lean back in their harnesses, swinging their heads and shoulders under the rope in a limbo-like shuffle. The drill demonstrates that they have the poise – and core strength –  to maneuver under a line or other obstacle in their way. Then they tie knots on the rope, another mandatory skill in line work.

The day continues with more exercises. JATC members add to the pressure, calling out errors and sloppiness.

“Is anybody listening today? He gave you an instruction!”

“If I gotta yell again, I’m not going to be happy!”

In a normal setting, the evaluators who judge candidates are friendly, approachable and passionate about their trade. They work diligently to help OPPD’s new apprentices succeed, and even in the lineworker boot camp, they mix harsh words with advice and encouragement. No one is punished for asking questions.

Under pressure

The boot camp is merely a test to simulate the stresses the would-be apprentices might encounter. Line work requires safety, attention to detail and calm under pressure.

Those who choose the life spend long hours in all types of weather, doing physically demanding work for customers who are eager to get their power restored – and often stressed themselves. To the unprepared, widespread damage after a major storm can seem overwhelming.

“We want to get the best apprentices we can,” said Sean Lane, field supervisor at the Papillion Service Center. “Sometimes we need to be a little hard on them. We just need to see how they do under pressure.”

The candidates come from different places. Some are fresh out of line school at Metropolitan Community College, Northeast Community College in Norfolk, and other schools. OPPD is branching out to accept even more programs. Some candidates come from other utilities. Others already work at OPPD in other jobs.

Trevor Rosener, 20, worked for an electrical contractor in Omaha before deciding to apply for OPPD’s line technician apprenticeship. The boot camp tested the skills he had acquired in that job and gave him a chance to demonstrate everything he had learned since graduating from Metropolitan Community College’s line school.

“It was a fun experience,” Rosener said. “I’ve done a lot of pole work, so I was used to it. It was just really hot out.”

Rosener said he was thrilled when OPPD called to offer him one of the apprenticeship slots. His hiring continues a family legacy at OPPD: his uncle once worked for the utility as a line technician.

Tough choices

Choosing which apprentices to hire can be hard, Lane said, because there are many qualified applicants. JATC members discuss the candidates at the end of each day and finalize their pick shortly after the lineworker boot camp ends.

“By day three, you’ve seen some real rock stars,” Lane said.

Dave Green, an area supervisor for OPPD’s Blair office and former line technician, said the lineworker boot camp intentionally puts candidates into difficult situations. To reach the top of a pole, for instance, candidates always have to climb with a harness. On an actual job, they might go up in a bucket truck instead.

But all of the skills are necessary, and new hopefuls fresh out of line school still have years of learning ahead of them. Some of the candidates respond clumsily to challenges thrown at them in the boot camp, which in a real situation could delay restoration work.

“You can tell the ones who have their stuff together and the ones who are struggling,” Green said.

One of the most important traits, however, is a good attitude and being coachable.

“You could be the best and most skilled worker here, and have a poor attitude and not get hired,” Lane said. “You’ve got to be safe. You’ve got to be able to communicate. You might be knowledgeable and very skilled, but this is a team effort. When you get in the air, you have to function as one.”