(WACO, Texas) – If your electricity goes out, chances are that a Texas State Technical College graduate could have a role in turning it back on.
TSTC has been the top producer of electrical lineworker graduates in Texas over the last five years, according to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Accountability System. Students can earn a certificate of completion or an associate degree in the Electrical Lineworker and Management Technology (ELMT) program at five of TSTC’s campuses.
“The growth of the power industry is in the fast lane, and TSTC is here to serve the needs of training individuals who will assist in the reconducting of existing lines and building new lines, as well as maintaining the current power grid,” said Eric Carithers, TSTC’s statewide chair of Distribution and Industrial Electrical Systems.
From summer 2019 to summer 2024, TSTC awarded more than 1,400 Electrical Lineworker and Management Technology degrees and certificates at the Fort Bend County, Harlingen, Marshall and Waco campuses, according to TSTC’s Business Analytics and Reporting department.
TSTC expanded the Electrical Lineworker and Management Technology program to the Abilene campus in 2024 due to demand for workers in that region. Many students in the first cohort that began classes last year are scheduled to graduate this summer.
“TSTC receiving the ELMT program solidifies what many recognize, which is that Abilene is an educational hub which continues to provide high-quality and educated students,” said Cameron Sloan, talent and emerging business specialist for the Abilene Regional Growth Alliance. “It also plays a major impact on Abilene’s economy through increasing employment for these in-demand jobs and consumer spending.”
Wisconsin-based Prolec GE Waukesha is one of the companies that has hired TSTC graduates. The company, which has a Texas location in Dallas, sells and performs maintenance on electrical transformers used in the utility grid system.
Norris Chamberlain is based in Arizona and currently works in operational support for Prolec GE Waukesha in Louisiana. He said the company’s relationship with TSTC started a few years ago with representatives meeting TSTC Career Services staff at industry job fairs hosted for students and alumni. Chamberlain said TSTC’s graduates fit well with the company’s work in Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.
“Everything we do is outside,” Chamberlain said. “There is no lineman that gets hired that will be at a desk. They work in the elements. The mindset is there. Most of the basic skill sets we require in our business are good mechanical skills, knowing how to put things together and take them apart, rigging and lifting.”
Chamberlain said the company is in early discussions with TSTC to have a specialized graduate certificate and training program at the Waco campus. He said the company is also interested in partnering with TSTC’s Electrical Power and Controls program.
There will be a nationwide need for more than 132,000 electrical power-line installers and repairers by 2033, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Carithers credits the need for workers to increasing electricity demand due to artificial intelligence technology, electric vehicles, and commercial and residential construction.
The Electrical Lineworker and Management Technology program is part of TSTC’s Money-Back Guarantee, which enables participating students who do not get a job in their field within six months of graduation to be eligible for a tuition refund.
For more information about TSTC, go to tstc.edu.
