Seven students completed Lake-Sumter State College’s inaugural Lineworker Boot Camp preparing them for a competitive and high-demand career as a lineworker.
Lineworkers may not be a household name, but their work impacts all of us – especially during storm season. Lineworkers and related career specialties are critical to the energy industry as utilities work to maintain, strengthen, and upgrade the electric grid in Florida and throughout the country. Utility companies have invested billions of dollars in maintaining and strengthening their systems and these investments will continue in the future.
LSSC’s Energy Utility Institute offers industry-aligned curriculum and training that reduces on-the-job training time for employers – making students completing LSSC’s programs more attractive candidates for employment.
The Lineworker Boot Camp is offered through LSSC Continuing Education as a credential program. Students can articulate their experience in the boot camp for further education in LSSC’s college-credit certificates or associate degree in Electrical Distribution Technology.
In addition to providing the lineworker training basics, LSSC’s boot camp program prepares students for the Construction and Skilled Trade Selection System examination (CAST) – a nationally recognized and common requirement for anyone seeking employment in the industry.
Students receiving this inaugural credential today are:
- Dawson Buchanan
- Kyle Davenport
- Kenneth Doll
- Paul McCants
- Tyler Rorah
- Sam Saulsbury
- Carvel Taylor
“As a graduate of LSSC’s Lineworker program and a lineworker myself, I’m incredibly proud of these students,” says Randall Blackburn, LSSC Electrical Distribution instructor. “They’re all hardworking and motivated and I’m extremely confident in their ability to get employed as an entry-level lineworker quickly.”
“This program is an exciting opportunity for Lake-Sumter State College to further support Florida’s workforce through training in high-demand, high-skill, and high-wage job areas,” said Dr. Laura Byrd, LSSC Vice President for Institutional Advancement. “This rapid credential program gets students to work with an industry-aligned curriculum and allows them the flexibility to continue their education for college credit in the future.”