On March 3-4, AISI’s Steel Market Development Institute Utility Pole Task Group sponsored a Steel Distribution Pole Lineman Center Workshop at the Northwest Lineman College (NLC) in Boise, Idaho. One of the premiere lineman colleges in the country, NLC has an excellent reputation among electric utilities for the quality of the students who graduate from the program.

The Task Group has sponsored Lineman Workshops since 2005, but this one was different, as it took lineman training to a new level. Eight steel distribution poles were donated to the college, compliments of task force member and pole manufacturer Valmont Industries. This training line enabled veteran lineman and instructor Gary McDonald to teach the students how to install steel poles and work on a line of poles instead of having just one in place. The program included training on the replacement of existing wood poles, grounding, climbing, restringing lines, attaching hardware, installing multi-piece poles, and simulated live-line installations, all new components of the program. As with all previous workshops, students were also taught safety practices when working with steel poles, the program’s highest priority.

Gil Maiuro, one of the head lineman instructors at NLC with ties to Pittsburgh, was thrilled to help install steel poles in the college’s training yard. He wrote about the experience: “I feel with all your help that NLC will remain the best in the nation with training and new products.” The training was videotaped and will be available in a few weeks on the AISI Web site at www.steel.org as an educational tool for other lineman training colleges and electric utilities.

What is the return on investment for the SMDI steel producers? At the end of the Boise program, MacDonald left more than 90 enthusiastic students and five instructors now well-versed in working with steel poles. In an industry where more than 45% of the work force is expected to retire in the next five years, this training provides the next generation of linemen and employees of neighboring utilities (such as Idaho Power) with skills in and knowledge of steel pole practices. In fact, while the steel pole workshop was in session, representatives from a utility company in Texas were interviewing students with the goal of hiring 40 as soon as they gradate.

The return on investment will also be realized with the permanent steel pole training line installed at NLC, as future students and neighboring utilities learn best practices for steel pole installation and maintenance. Linemen trained in the field often prefer steel poles and convince their employers to replace aging wood lines with more durable steel.

More advanced lineman training workshops are being planned, with the next one scheduled in May at the Northwest Lineman College campus in Oroville, California. For more information, contact Dan Snyder.