Advanced Electrical Programs

The Smart Meter Technician, Overhead Line Construction, and Underground Residential Distribution advanced training programs prepare students for employment in an industry with a growing need for new workers in the maintenance, expansion, and updating of the electric grid.

Updating the grid will have a multifaceted impact, according to an article published by The Americans for Energy Leadership, a special project of the Scientists & Engineers for America, that works to foster the next generation of energy policy leaders and advance U.S. leadership in the clean energy sector.

The article states, "By improving efficiency, reducing peak demand, and protecting against power outage spillovers, a smart grid could add $15 billion to $20 billion per year to the U.S. economy by 2020. Additionally, a $100 billion investment could create nearly two million jobs during tough economic times."

Graduates of the Electrical training programs at the Gary and Oneonta Job Corps Centers will be equipped to fill these jobs. Each graduate receives the OSHA Electrical-Hazard Awareness credential and the North American Electric Reliability Cyber-Security Standards credential.

Peter Rodriguez, a native of Queens, New York, enrolled at the Oneonta Job Corps Center with an initial goal of attaining his GED. After completing the Electrical career technical training program, he seized a new opportunity and set his sights higher. "I got into the Overhead Line Construction advanced training program, and it was the best decision I ever made," Rodriguez said.

"Overhead Line is hopefully going to get me a job at a top-of-the-line power company. It's more than a job; it's a career. It's something that I can be proud of, bring home to the family, and hopefully retire off of one day."

Bill Renwick, career technical training manager at the Oneonta Job Corps Center, said, "Students who have graduated from our program are working for Consolidated Edison, Long Island Railroad, Time Warner, and Comcast. They are averaging between $14 and $32 an hour working for those companies."

Though each program provides students with an introduction to the smart grid and basic electricity training, there are differences between the courses. Only Smart Meter Technician students learn how to select, test, maintain, and install electric meters. Overhead Line Construction students learn safe climbing techniques up to 45 feet, as well as how to run service laterals to residential and commercial buildings. Students in the Underground Residential Distribution program learn the fundamentals of operating a backhoe and working underground, and they study distribution systems and theory.

No matter which program they choose, Advanced Electrical graduates will find themselves well-prepared to fill new jobs at power distribution companies across the country.