logo

Stew Lilker’s

Columbia County Observer

Real news from Florida for working families since 2007

County News

Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative Offering Two Lineworker Program Scholarships

Lineworker on high electric pole, with caption: Suwannee Valley Electric Co-op offering 2 scholarships to put your career on high
Photo: American Public Power Association | Columbia County Observer graphic

Updated August 11, 2022 10:10 am: SVEC has decided to add an additional lineworker scholarship to the two originally indicated, making three scholarships available.

LIVE OAK, FL – Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative (SVEC) is offering three lineworker Program Scholarships for those interested in a career high off the ground.

The SVEC apprentice program ensures a long-term supply of highly trained, well-rounded journeyman lineworkers who can provide excellent electric service to the cooperative's consumer members.

The newest graduates of SVEC’s Apprentice Lineworker Program (from top to bottom): Clay Stratton, James Williams and Adam Ford
The newest graduates of SVEC’s Apprentice Lineworker Program (from top to bottom): Clay Stratton, James Williams and Adam Ford.

Adam Ford, Clay Stratton, and James Williams have recently graduated from the Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative (SVEC) Apprentice Lineworker Program.

The trio completed the Northwest Lineman College (NLC) Electrical Lineworker Program and became journeyman lineworkers. The program includes a minimum of 576 hours of lecture, lab and field instruction. The trio also completed over 8,000 hours of on-the-job training at SVEC.

SVEC CEO Mike McWaters said, “Our apprentice program requires a lot of study and hard work. We are very proud of these young men for being dedicated to their profession and earning promotion to journeyman.”

Fifteen individuals have graduated from SVEC’s apprentice program since it began in 2014.

SVEC is currently seeking candidates for two full scholarships to NLC’s 15-week Electrical Lineworker Program, which begins in January 2023.

After successfully completing the NLC program, SVEC will offer the scholarship recipients a full-time apprentice lineworker position.

Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative is a not-for-profit cooperative that provides safe, affordable, and reliable electric service to over 28,000 consumers in Florida's Columbia, Hamilton, Lafayette, and Suwannee counties.

Northwest Lineman College (NLC) is an educational institution that provides safety and certification training in the power delivery, natural gas, and telecommunications industries. NLC’s training facilities are in Edgewater, Florida; Meridian, Idaho; Oroville, California; and Denton, Texas.

Comments  (to add a comment go here)

This work by the Columbia County Observer is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

 
Meeting Calendar
No need to be confused - Find links to agendas and where your participation is welcome.
 
 

Make a comment • click here •
All comments are displayed at the end of the article and are moderated.