HELENA — Future linemen in Helena are getting hands-on training designed to prepare them for one of the most demanding and dangerous jobs in the workforce, with safety remaining the top priority.
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The apprenticeship program trains workers across a five-state region including Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado. Apprentices complete 7,000 hours of training through a combination of classroom instruction and field experience while learning directly from experienced journeymen linemen.
“There’s so much more to being a lineman than just lifting heavy things and climbing power poles,” said Tim Newman, assistant director and instructor for the program.
Newman has been involved with the apprenticeship program since 2009 as a journeyman examiner before stepping into his current role in 2013. He said teamwork and communication are critical in the field, where crews often work in high-risk conditions.
“You have to have a team mentality because you have a three-, four-man crew and you have to work together to get the job done safely,” Newman said.
The training facility in Helena, which the program moved into in 2019, gives apprentices opportunities to practice real-world scenarios while also learning why specific safety procedures are in place.
“They teach them how to do it in the field, and we teach them why you do it,” Newman said.
Instructors said apprentices are trained to respond to dangerous situations and are mentored throughout the process by journeymen linemen working in the field. Accountability and integrity are emphasized alongside technical skills.
“Accountability and integrity are big,” Newman said.
Second-year apprentice Walker Spurlock said the experience pushes trainees outside their comfort zones while giving them the chance to ask questions and learn in a controlled environment.
“When you come here and you try all sorts of new stuff and you ask all sorts of different questions that you might not be comfortable asking out in the field,” Spurlock said.
Spurlock said safety remains the foundation of the job and the training.
“Safety is our biggest thing because all we want to do is, yeah, we love this job, but we want to just go home, see our families every night,” he said.
He added that the crews develop a close bond while working together in dangerous conditions.
“You’re your brother’s keeper,” Spurlock said.
Program organizers said their goal is to prepare apprentices for high-demand careers while building a safety-first mindset that stays with them throughout their careers.
