A unique program offered specifically to First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) students will celebrate its first completed class this week.
Lethbridge College’s Power Line Technician/Power System Electrician program is designed to enhance career opportunities in the utility electrical field. Participants receive extensive hands-on and theoretical training related to overhead and underground distribution installation, making Lethbridge College graduates attractive to potential employers.
In September 2015, Saamis Aboriginal Employment and Training Association (SAETA) and Lethbridge College announced a partnership to support a Power Line Technician program intake specifically for the Aboriginal community. Thirteen students will now be graduating from the program.
Saamis Aboriginal Employment and Training Association is delighted to host the completion ceremony of the Aboriginal Power Line Technician program on Friday. “SAETA was able to secure funding from Rupertsland Institute, Community Futures Treaty Seven and Alberta Works to support students in this program,” says executive director of SAETA Anita Neefs. “Without their support, these types of programs would not be possible.”
Power line technicians are looking at bright professional outlooks in the years ahead. Because the industry is facing a high retirement rate over the next five years, they are in-demand and well paid. Employment of power line technicians is projected to grow seven per cent from 2012 to 2022. The first group of students have excelled in the program, their instructors note, and have obtained the skills and knowledge to put themselves in a great position to succeed in the workplace.