More than a dozen apprentice lineworkers will climb a 70-foot pole and receive course completion certificates as Austin Energy celebrates its first Climbing School graduating class since 2020.
Apprentice lineworkers go through a three-week training process designed to introduce the fundamental aspects of line work. The process is a combination of formal classroom and hands-on experience where instructors cover many of the fundamentals of utility operations. Those topics include safety, climbing techniques, tool and pole inspection, personal protective equipment, fall protection and more.
After passing climbing school, the apprentices will be assigned to a crew and continue their field learning for about four years before becoming lineworkers.
