Journeymen linemen build and maintain electrical power systems. They do all the work from the point of generation (power plants) all the way to the customer's meter. The lines may be on overhead structures (up to 300') or in underground vaults or trenches. They may be in rural and metropolitan areas. Linemen do work on traffic signals, street lights, and substations. The work is varied and exciting and the rewards are plentiful.
Lineman Program
Being a journeyman lineman is really a combination of many different skills. Your apprenticeship training program will prepare you for all aspects of this exciting and rewarding career.
Duties
Basic
Requirements
Be at least 18 years old
Minimum of high school diploma or GED
Have an address and Class A Commercial Driver's License (CDL)--with air brakes and manual transmission--in one of the following states:*
Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Have a DOT physical exam
Submit a $30 payment at the time of application
Pass the ETA aptitude test administered on-site
*If you are under 21 with a CDL from a state different than the state you applied for, you will have 60 days to get a CDL in the state you applied for
Determine if being a lineman is right for you
Complete the Application Process
Interview Day
Scoring your Interview and the Ranking List
Getting The Text
Orientation Week
Field Training and Classroom Instruction
Graduation
Being a journeyman lineman isn't for everyone. Although the job pays well and provides excellent benefits, a lineman is often asked to work outside in unfriendly weather conditions, climb high poles (if you're afraid of heights, you can stop reading right now) and do physically and mentally demanding work. The job will require a fair amount of travel, which can mean many nights away from home.
Ensure that you meet the basic requirements for the program and submit an application through our website.
When you pass your aptitude test, you'll go through an interview with a committee made up of line contractors and members of the local union. After the interview, each committee member will give you a score from 0-100 based on everything they've learned about your background, attitude, interests, etc.
Your scores from the interview will be averaged. That average score is slotted into a ranking list that contains all previous applicants as well as those who apply after you. If you score high, you'll move to the top of the list regardless of how long other applicants have been waiting. Your name will stay on the list for 1 year. If we have not called you within that year, your name will be removed from the list. If you don’t like your ranking, you can reapply after 90 days*
* You must have worked 450 hours of work in the electrical line construction industry or completed 2 post-secondary industry related classes since your original interview date. Re-interview form is available for download in the resources tab.
When a new apprentice is needed, if your name is at the top of the list, you'll receive a text with instructions to call the office by 9 a.m. the following morning for further information regarding orientation week.
This intensive orientation week at the Missouri Valley training center located in Iowa covers many of the basics (drug testing, rules and regulations, first aid, CPR, OSHA 10 ET&D). You'll also receive training in the skill that linemen are most recognized for — climbing poles. After you successfully complete the orientation, you will officially become an indentured apprentice.
After orientation, you'll be assigned to a contractor so that you can gain valuable hands-on training in the field. You'll also begin regular classroom instruction involving safety, electrical theory, circuitry, transformer connections, and more.
In order to complete the training and instruction to become a journeyman lineman, you must work full time for nearly four years as an apprentice (7,000 hours minimum). During this time, you'll advance through the seven steps of the program. Your pay rate will increase with each additional step.
In order to learn all aspects of the trade, most apprentices work for more than one contractor during their time in the program.
After you've completed your training and classwork, and met all graduation requirements, you'll graduate from Missouri Valley with Department of Labor and ETA completion certificates.
