Program trains a generation of Eversource line workers
When the lights go out in Connecticut, utility line workers are the first line of defense against long-term power outages.
And a year after Eversource Energy drew heavy criticism for how long it took to restore power to some customers in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Isais, the company is taking steps to bolster the ranks of it line workers.
A group of 15 would-be power line repair workers graduated from an 11week training program at Capital Community College in Hartford with certificates and the hope of landing a job at Eversource Energy in Connecticut. The training included an online component as well as weekend sessions at Eversource’s line worker training ground, located in Berlin.
Program graduates who are hired by the company would join a line repair workforce of 300 to 400 people in the state, according to Steve Driscoll, Eversource’s vice president of operation services. Across Eversource’s threestate service territory, which also includes Massachusetts and New Hampshire, Driscoll said there are more than 1,000 overhead line workers and 400 who specialize in working on the company’s underground distribution network.
The repair work force in Connecticut includes both underground and overhead line workers, he said.
“Some of our line workers are able to do underground work in suburban areas,” Driscoll said. “But doing the underground work in downtown areas is more complicated.”
Finding a proper balance
Part of the reason for launching the program at Capital Community College, he said, is that the company has a 7 percent or 8 percent attrition rate for line workers on average.
“Some of that is a progression: As line workers enhance their experience, some of them move into other jobs, like design our network system,” Driscoll
said. “It’s the type of skill set that takes you about five years to be considered fully rated and be qualified to do all of the tasks that are required. And at the same time, our company and the whole industry is experiencing the impact of baby boomers retiring.”
Eversource brings on between 30 and 40 new line workers on average each year through a variety of means, he said.
“You need to have the right ratio of new workers to more experienced ones,” Driscoll said.
Historical data from the company’s filings with the state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority regarding how many line workers Eversource has show employment levels in that category have remained relatively steady. The company had 352 distribution line workers in 2015 and that number fluctuated between a low of 336 in 2016 and a high of 381 in 2018.
“Our (line worker) hiring is higher than it has been in the past,” Driscoll said.
Training the next generation
Duncan Harris, chief executive officer of Capital Community College, said 90 people expressed an interest in the certificate program and of that group 62 to took the necessary tests to be considered for acceptance.
Some of the community college’s focus is in the areas of continuing edu
cation and workforce training, which allows workers looking to transition from one field to another, according to Harris.
“One of the things we do is tailor successful training programs,” he said.
Driscoll said the course “is designed to have prerequisites that would provide them with a solid background and so they don't have to quit their jobs.”
Each of the 15 course graduates are guaranteed an interview and a pre-screening. If they are offered a job as a line worker, the starting salary is $29 an
hour with the potential to earn up to $40 per hour.
Jared Flagg of Old Lyme is one of the graduates from the training program.
“My family has been in the power industry for decades,” Flagg said. “I’ve seen the enjoyment and success they’ve gained from working in the industry and I want to accomplish the same success.”
Flagg now is eligible for a paid apprenticeship with Eversource.
“The aspect of this program that I have enjoyed most is the camaraderie,” he said. “We have a group of individuals from all walks of life with varying life experiences, all sharing in being
part of the first Line Worker Program in Connecticut.”
Evan Salisbury of East Hampton said he decided to pursue a career as a line worker “because it is one of the most important and rewarding jobs in the world.”
“We support our communities by maintaining the power lines to provide safe distribution of electricity to all customers,” Salisbury said.
The coursework for the certificate program included electrical theory, basic math, communications, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and safety. But Domenic Buonomo’s favorite part of the training was climbing utility poles.
“Climbing the poles was a blast,” Buonomo said. “I’m an adrenaline junkie and I love working in the outdoor environment.”
The Wolcott resident is a 2019 graduate of W.F. Kaynor Technical High School and works as an electrician at Collier Electric. He got his first taste of what it might be like to work for Eversource last summer when his employer was hired as a subcontractor by the utility to help restore power after Tropical Storm Isaias.
“They treated us like family,” Buonomo said of Eversource’s line workers.