Cooperative Living January 2016 - 17

Rural Youth See Advantages in Career as Power Line Worker
E
mbarking on a career is a major
moment in a young person's life.
For three young men in rural
Southside Virginia, creation of the Power
Line Worker Training School has moved
them a step closer to settling on a lifecareer
decision.
Electric-line work is hard, dangerous
and demanding, often requiring the line
worker to miss sleep and be exposed to
uncomfortable weather extremes. Power
outages rarely occur during the middle
of the workday in bluebird weather.
" I like the idea of working outdoors, "
says Gage Clary, a senior at Park View
High School in Brunswick County. " I
think being a lineman would be a great
job. I know several people in the
electric-service business, and one of my
best friends' uncle is a lineman. I think
it's a good profession, one I'd like to
pursue as a career. "
Clary, whose family is served by
Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative
(MEC), has spent time with MEC's Clint
Card, who showed him the types of
work and the responsibilities of an
electric-line worker.
Clary, who enjoys hunting, fishing,
football and baseball, says, " I'm going to
apply for the new program at Pickett Park
when I finish high school. That's what I'd
like to pursue - a career as a lineman. "
Caleb Crowder, a senior at Amelia High
School, also enjoys being outdoors. " I love
to fish and hunt, and play sports, " he says.
" And bad weather doesn't bother me. I like
being outside. "
Like Clary, Crowder says he wants to
attend the Power Line Worker Training
School after graduating from high school.
His interest in working as a power line
worker began after talking to Jeff Edwards,
CEO of Southside Electric Cooperative
(SEC), which serves his family's home.
" I'd been talking to some people about
the idea of working as a lineman, and then
I got to talk to Jeff, and he helped me
make the decision, " says Crowder.
Crowder attended SEC's program for
high schoolers, A Day in the Life of a
Lineman, in 2015, which reinforced his
decision to pursue a line worker career.
" I love the idea of line work, " says
Crowder. " It's a good-paying job, and I
really enjoy working outdoors. "
Jackie Lewis graduated from RandolphHenry
High School in Charlotte County
two years ago. He's been able to cobble
together several types of part-time
work since graduation, but says he'd
really like to get into electric-line work
as a life career.
A native of the tiny rural community of
Wylliesburg, Lewis says he's had an
interest in the idea of being a lineman
since he was about 16 years old.
" I've always liked being outdoors, and I
like climbing, " he says. " Plus, I like
learning about electricity, circuitry, and I
like the idea of serving the community.
" I was going to attend the (electric
line worker training) school in Georgia,
but the classes were full at the time, "
he says.
" Clint Card (of MEC) told me about
the new school being formed in
Blackstone, and that sounded like just
what I need, " Lewis adds. He plans on
applying to the school and hopes it leads
to a career as a power-line worker.
" I'd love to be able to find a good job
that would let me stay around here, where
my family is and where I've grown up, " he
says. " Plus, electric lineman is a career that
will always be needed and something I
could work at the rest of my life. " 
Gage Clary
Jackie Lewis
www.co-opliving.com
Caleb Crowder
January 2016 | Cooperative Living | 15
http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living January 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living January 2016
