Mobile trailers allow Baker Technical Institute to offer a variety of training at any location. 

BAKER CITY — Eastern Oregonians interested in pursuing a career as an electrical lineworker will soon have a new opportunity.

Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative and Baker Technical Institute announced plans to launch a new school in Baker City to help prepare the next generation of lineworkers, according to a set of March 12 press releases.

“Our goal is to provide training of the highest standards,” BTI President Doug Dalton said. “We want to build a reputation for graduating future linemen with a solid foundation of skills, experience, and integrity that will ensure continued success and safety in the industry.”

The two organizations are building a new training center on around 30 acres of land in the Elkhorn View Industrial Park, according to the OTEC press release. The land is located south of the cooperative’s headquarters and was recently purchased from Baker City.

OTEC has assisted with land procurement and will also help with the facility and site improvements, while Baker Technical Institute will operate the lineworker school, according to the BTI press release. Construction will get underway as soon as possible with training set to begin this fall.

The need for electrical lineworkers is expected to grow across the country, stated BTI. While there is an increasing electrical grid need, the industry has reported a shortage of skilled trade workers, including lineworkers. This is in part due to an aging workforce and a lack of younger individuals entering the trade.

“There is a growing need for the technical and skilled labor necessary to support rebuilding and future expansion of the nation’s infrastructure including electric infrastructure,” OTEC Chief Executive Officer Les Penning said in the release.

Students will go through a 15-week hands-on training program, which includes working in an indoor lab, high-tech classroom and outdoor training area. The program will prepare students for the variety of scenarios and safety standards throughout the industry.

“Elevating our training to a level that becomes best practice in the industry will be built on several factors. Having the best instructors in the field, small class sizes, state-of-the-art facilities and equipment and comprehensive course options will be the difference maker,” Dalton said.

Students will receive the necessary certifications, such as pole climbing and pole-top rescue, aerial lift rescue, overhead and underground construction, distribution system design and operation, national electric safety code, electrical theory, and rigging. Additionally, students can obtain their commercial driver’s license, which is required for many of the positions.

“When providing our students with diverse opportunities, we intend to add on courses like heavy equipment operation and advanced emergency medical training, as examples,” Dalton said.

Initially, the lineworker school will create eight new jobs and infuse an estimated $4.2 million into the local community, according to OTEC.

After completing line schools, workers have traditionally gone on to join an electric utility for a four-year apprenticeship or join construction companies to build or repair electrical infrastructure, according to BTI. The new lineworker school aims to build the core skills needed to enter the field.

BTI and OTEC have previously collaborated on other projects, such as providing student scholarships for trade schools and creating a utility safety training program, according to the press releases.

OTEC said this new school is the first part of a larger vision to create a safety training center for utility workers, first responders and other skilled trade workers.