Media release from Georgia Northwestern Technical College:
Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) is providing advanced training to regional utility contractors as part of a new program to help them meet registered apprenticeship requirements.
GNTC’s new U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Line Repairer Registered Apprenticeship program is offered through GNTC’s Office of Economic Development in partnership with Gridco, a grid infrastructure service company based in Birmingham, Ala. The three-year program assists utility contractors when they bid on large contracts.
“GNTC’s Office of Economic Development was happy to partner with our area employers to add this apprenticeship offering and continue to train the pipeline of Electrical Lineworkers,” said Angela Berch, vice president of Economic Development at GNTC.
GNTC launched the first cohort of apprentices on Aug. 11 at GNTC’s Polk County Campus in Rockmart. There are currently nine apprentices in the program.
“Utilizing our experienced instructors, equipment and GNTC’s Polk County Campus Lineworker facility, adding this apprenticeship was a natural progression,” Berch said. GNTC’s Electrical Lineworker program was established in 2022 and has graduated more than 100 students.
“Apprentices will learn myriad skills, including safety, ropes, pole climbing, voltage readings, job briefings, operating trucks, single-phase power, troubleshooting, line repairs, primary cable terminations, pad mounts, three-phase primary work and energizing/deenergizing capacitor banks,” Berch explained.
The three-year program serves existing utility contractor employees and is not open-to-the-public, Berch said. GNTC is required to provide 144 hours of instruction annually for three years for 432 hours total; the employer provides 2,000 hours of on-the-job training annually for the three years for 6,000 hours total. Graduates will receive a certificate of completion.
“Gridco is excited to partner with GNTC to start this DOL-approved Lineworker Apprentice program,” said Mike Caro, senior safety and training representative with Gridco. “The two organizations have been collaborating for months to bring this program to fruition, and it is very rewarding to see it get started successfully.”
“Our apprentices at Gridco are very appreciative of the opportunity, and Gridco sees a program like this as a great asset to both employee retention and support for our clients and the industry,” Caro said. “We look forward to many years of working with GNTC to grow the apprenticeship program and solidify our relationship.”
Gridco was one of two companies that requested GNTC offer an apprenticeship program like this one in northwest Georgia, Berch said.
“Gridco contacted us early in 2025, and we worked over several months to iron out the apprenticeship details,” Berch said. “Gridco assisted with curriculum development and registered employees for all 10 spots available in the first cohort.”
The next cohort of the Line Repairer Registered Apprenticeship program is scheduled to begin in April 2026. GNTC’s Office of Economic Development will add more cohorts as demand increases, Berch said. Enrollment is capped at 10 apprentices per cohort.
GNTC’s Electrical Lineworker instructors are Kevin Bishop and Chad Thompson.
Area contractors seeking information about the DOL Line Repairer Registered Apprenticeship program are encouraged to contact GNTC’s Office of Economic Development at [email protected].