Cooperative Living September 2022 - 6

-- WERFUL - -----Learning
the Ropes and More
by Laura Emery S taff Writer
Lineworker training center is at the heart of Powerful Careers
O
utside of the Electric
Cooperative Training Center
building in Palmyra, Va., there
is a lot of playful joking among 13
graduates. While they prepare to part
ways after four years of on-and-off
training together, they're aware that
their paths may cross during a storm
later down the line.
In fact, graduate Aaron Clark is
counting on it. " I love the camaraderie
with everyone. It's been great meeting
these guys and learning alongside
them, " the Rappahannock Electric
Cooperative lineworker says.
The graduates, who represent
electric cooperatives and municipal
utilities, recently graduated from
apprentice to journeyman status
following completion of thousands
of hours of extensive training.
They completed their final Line
Technician Apprentice Program-Step
--- T'S A CO-OP?
The Biggest Little Co-op
Vermont, which does a little bit of
everything.
The cooperative, located in the
Adamant Co-op
S
ome cooperatives specialize in
electricity. Some specialize in
finance. Some specialize in food.
Then there's the Adamant Co-op in
4 ● Cooperative Living ●
September 2022
north-central part of the state, is part
grocery store, part community center,
part music venue and there's even a
post office thrown in, to boot. It was
formed in 1935 when a handful of
locals kicked in $5 each to get it off the
ground. In 1940, the co-op purchased
a house to use as a community center
and a store; it still is located in the
same shingled storefront.
In 2015, the co-op was robbed
one winter night. In true cooperative
As a member of an electric cooperative,
you are part of one of 3 million co-ops worldwide.
Here's the story about one of them.
fashion, members looked out for each
other. " We can only afford one clerk at a
time, but somebody had the idea to bring
in a couple of instruments to keep them
company, " says co-manager Regina
Thompson. From that sprung music jams,
book clubs and board game tournaments
to bring the community together, safely.
The co-op-supported Blackfly Festival,
held this year in June, featured music from
Sweden and the British Isles, a bake sale
with blackfly-inspired delights, a plant
sale and members of the insect family. 
For more, visit adamantcoop.org.
co-opliving.com
8 class at the state-of-the-art training
center, which is owned and operated
by the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware
Association of Electric Cooperatives.
Since it opened in 2019, 105
apprentice lineworkers have completed
the program; another 413 are still in
training. More than 100 line technicians,
substation technicians and system
operators also have graduated from
Palmyra, as the center is known.
Clark has nothing but positive things
to say about the program. " This was a
good program to go through. You not
only learn more about the trade, but
there is a strong focus on job safety.
Job safety is the number one priority in
our line of work, because I want to go
home to my family and be sure that the
guys I work with go home to their
families as well, " he says.
To achieve journeyman status,
lineworkers must complete 8,000 hours
Teaching a class at the
Electric Cooperative Training
Center in Palmyra, Va.
of classroom and on-the-job training.
Alan Scruggs, the Association's vice
president of safety, training and
education, says the program incorporates
climbing skills, knowledge of electricity,
underground and substation work,
safety and leadership, among other
topics.
Howard Hipp has been with
NOVEC for a little over three years.
" I enjoyed the program and learned a lot.
Our apprenticeship is four years long;
every six months we come to the class
for a week. It's a total of eight weeks over
the course of four years, " he says. 
For more, visit vmdaec.com/powerfulcareers.
PHOTO COURTESY ADAMANT CO-OP
PHOTO BY LAURA EMERY
http://www.vmdaec.com/powerfulcareers http://www.adamantcoop.org http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living September 2022

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