School or Union?

[jficek34]

What's the better choice, going to vocational school (SLTC) or going through my local union apprenticeship program and learning through that??

[Pootnaigle]

Union, way cheaper n they actually teach you sumpin

[Rob]

Agree w Poot... I'm not very familiar with the schools though. Wouldn't you still be required to go through an apprenticeship even after finishing your school?

[Orgnizdlbr]

Union apprenticeship.......

[bobbo]

I wasn't prepared at all for this trade. Will you have a qualified instructor making 60k a year or a lineman in the field making 200 I a year. The pressure of production will teach you a lot Bette. Sen guys go to the colleges go non union then union and couldn't tie a square knot. I guess they had Velcro shoes there whole life.

[Aryllis4004]

From the beginning of time, I think school is better choice

[in the bucket]

Here's my two cents. I'm 52, I've been around the block. I have done electrical work in some capacity for over 30 years. The last three have been at a small municipal utility as a lineman. Although I am a master electrician and had 4 kv experience, I was enrolled by the borough in the Northwest Linemans College, "distance learning" course. This is strictly a book study program of 40 books and tests done via fax. I'm 60% through this. A few months back I was offered an opportunity to join the apprentices and do several months worth of training at a major utility. This was basically for me to bring back some safety policy to my shop as we were under an osha audit.

First off, NW Linemens college has a ton of theory to learn. It is very comprehensive. The utility training is great too but is more "hands on" obviously, it get's you ready for their methods and policy etc. The utility teacher was impressed with the text books I showed him from the other school.

IF I WAS YOUNGER AND COULD DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN........
I would get a job in a big utility. Any job I could get until I could transfer into the overhead department. I worked for contractors and was a contractor for almost my whole career. It is feast or famine. The security and resources available at the large utility are hard to beat even if the union contracts are not what they used to be.

I think even if you go through a private school, you may have to repeat all the training when you land a job as you virtually have little or no experience.

Well, good luck!

[bobbo]

Here's my two cents. I'm 52, I've been around the block. I have done electrical work in some capacity for over 30 years. The last three have been at a small municipal utility as a lineman. Although I am a master electrician and had 4 kv experience, I was enrolled by the borough in the Northwest Linemans College, "distance learning" course. This is strictly a book study program of 40 books and tests done via fax. I'm 60% through this. A few months back I was offered an opportunity to join the apprentices and do several months worth of training at a major utility. This was basically for me to bring back some safety policy to my shop as we were under an osha audit.

First off, NW Linemens college has a ton of theory to learn. It is very comprehensive. The utility training is great too but is more "hands on" obviously, it get's you ready for their methods and policy etc. The utility teacher was impressed with the text books I showed him from the other school.

IF I WAS YOUNGER AND COULD DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN........
I would get a job in a big utility. Any job I could get until I could transfer into the overhead department. I worked for contractors and was a contractor for almost my whole career. It is feast or famine. The security and resources available at the large utility are hard to beat even if the union contracts are not what they used to be.

I think even if you go through a private school, you may have to repeat all the training when you land a job as you virtually have little or no experience.

Well, good luck!
i totally agree. The thing is if the school is not for profit, community college whatever which will help you to gain apprenticeship, great. But if it's for profit, and puts a young man in a student loan debt bind and a funnel for non union, I am not for it. These for profit schools what standards do they have. Why would a man teach for 60k or so, when lineman are making over 150 to 200 k. And as far as transformer theory in the classroom what situation would teach you better, in a classroom or paralleling a 480 straight bank in real life. I think success in this trade is 80 percent rigging. And 20% just following the standards in the 120 years of lineman before you. Every part of this country does things different. Guess what they all work. And having an instructor saying this is the only way to do it, that's limited.