Press Releases
06/11/2019
Jobs pipeline puts KVCC grads in high-paying linework industry
Jobs pipeline puts KVCC grads in high-paying linework industry
Jobs Pipeline Puts KVCC Grads in High-paying Linework Industry
FAIRFIELD, Maine. (Mainbiz) – Thirteen graduates from Kennebec Valley Community College will join Central Maine Power as apprentices this month.
The new graduates recently completed the Electrical Lineworker Technology program located on the college’s Hinckley campus, according to a June 10 news release.
Since the program started in 1990, more than 570 students have graduated.
The program is funded in part by CMP and the Avangrid Foundation, an independent, nonprofit organization that funds philanthropic investments where Avangrid and its subsidiaries operate. Avangrid is CMP’s parent company.
“The program is a win-win for CMP and the graduates,” Doug Herling, president and CEO of CMP, said in the release. “CMP is able to recruit employees from a training and education program specifically designed to meet the future workforce needs of America’s utilities, and the graduates come in the door with a full grasp of the work demands.”
“Partnerships with employers such as CMP are key to ensuring the best preparation for our graduates to meet Maine’s workforce and economy needs,” KVCC President Richard Hopper said in the release. “These jobs bridge students from the high-quality, relevant, affordable, hands-on training received at KVCC to well-paying professions in electrical line work.”
The 13 new apprentices will work across CMP’s service area. The start date of one new employee will be postponed to allow him to fulfill deployment obligations with the U.S. Marine Corps.
The graduates are part of a staffing plan formalized earlier this year by a new agreement with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which will add 51 new lineworkers to CMP field operations by 2024.
The one-year certificate program covers subjects including electrical theory, line construction theory, rigging, tree-trimming and line clearance, transformers and utility metering. Graduates report that 91% of them are employed within six months and earn an average of $61,000 a year. The Avangrid Foundation has supported the program with a grant of $250,000 for capital improvements over the past five years, and with CMP has provided equipment, poles, trucks and student scholarships.
In April, Hopper told Mainebiz that KVCC continues to launch classes aimed at meeting workforce shortages in Maine.
Some of the newest ones are in basic carpentry, pipe welding and commercial driving.
“We hope to stimulate demand and help the public understand they can come to us and get the training they need,” he said.
KVCC offers both credit-bearing degree and certificate programs; both are eligible for financial aid. It offers shorter, non-credit continuing businesses and industry training that’s focused on building skills in the existing workforce. And it often pulls together customized training programs for individual companies.
About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States. Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $44 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, Avangrid has two primary lines of business: networks and renewables. Through its networks business, Avangrid owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Through its renewables business, Avangrid owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. Avangrid employs approximately 8,000 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America’s best corporate citizens. In 2024, Avangrid ranked first among utilities and 12 overall. The company supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2024 for the sixth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.
About Iberdrola: Iberdrola is one of the world's biggest energy companies and a leader in renewables, spearheading the energy transition to a low carbon economy. The group supplies energy to almost 100 million people in dozens of countries. With a focus on renewable energy, smart networks and smart solutions for customers, Iberdrola’s main markets include Europe (Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy and Greece), the United States, Brazil, Mexico and Australia. The company is also present in growth markets such as Japan, Taiwan, Ireland, Sweden and Poland, among others.
With a workforce of nearly 40,000 and assets in excess of €141.7 billion, across the world, Iberdrola helps to support 400,000 jobs across its supply chain, with annual procurement of €12.2 billion. A benchmark in the fight against climate change, Iberdrola has invested more than €130 billion over the past two decades to help build a sustainable energy model, based on sound environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles.
