A crisis is brewing for utilities and companies seeking to equip the next generation of linemen. By 2016, an estimated 50,000 new linemen will need to be trained as more than one-third of all current field personnel are expected to retire over the next five years. The traditional training program that could take nearly 20 years to shape a new recruit into a first-line supervisor is no longer suitable. Accelerated learning is mandatory. Also, the future of regulation in the electric industry is unclear, so training must have the capability to be updated quickly to keep pace. Traditional training that depends entirely on classroom and fieldwork will not meet the need. Enter ElectricU.

A New Breed of Curriculum

ElectricU is a training program for linemen and other technical staff consisting of online learning courses, knowledge assessments and field performance evaluations. A utility, contractor or technical college can use the program to train apprentice linemen and as refresher training for journeymen. Through online training, the cost of travel can be eliminated, content can be easily updated, students can take online tests and links to utility procedures can be incorporated in the coursework.

The Midwest Energy Association (MEA) developed the curriculum in partnership with representatives from more than a dozen utilities and organizations from the electric industry. MEA originally developed online training curriculum for the gas industry, which is now being used by hundreds of utilities and contractors. In similar fashion, the MEA board pulled together a group of members in the electric industry to define the curriculum for linemen and develop materials. Currently, 100 courses are available, with 25 more courses in development. The complete curriculum will be available in early 2012.

“One of the first things we did was assess the material already available, and it wasn't very good. This was indicative of the early days of e-learning,” said John Gann, MEA's vice president of electric services. “The content was just PowerPoint page-turners, and the video shots were old and tired. We decided to start from scratch. Since we are an association, we have the advantage of being part of a group that can develop the content and provide subject-matter experts.”

Developing the Courses

To start the development process, MEA convened a group of operations and training professionals from its membership to define the 200 individual tasks a lineman must be able to accomplish to be equipped for the job. The group then created performance evaluation forms that document the steps in a given task and how one would know a step was done properly. These forms provide the backbone of the courses and can be used by instructors as part of their field evaluations. Additionally, the forms incorporate Occupational Safety and Health Administration and National Electrical Safety Code requirements related to the respective tasks.

The curriculum is divided into several subject areas:

• Substations
• Overhead systems and components
• Underground systems and components
• Services and secondaries
• Metering
• Transmission systems
• Distribution systems
• Electric utility fundamentals
• Electrical components
• Tools and equipment
• Safety and general information
• General support skills.

The courses are accessed through the Internet or from a utility's intranet. In addition, course content can be presented in a traditional classroom setting so a class can review and discuss proper procedures. Courses are assigned, delivered and tracked either using ElectricU's or a utility's learning management system.

“While computer-based learning does not replace traditional classroom and field training, it does complement it,” Gann said. “Online training is useful as a prerequisite to traditional training and for easy and inexpensive refresher training.”

Each course offers a pre- and post-course knowledge test. The courses are compliant with AICC and SCORM formats, which are standards for Web-based e-learning. MEA also offers a one-day training class to help organizations customize the course for their purposes.

The curriculum can be purchased two ways. If an organization wants to pay to become a member of MEA and participate in the development of the courses, the courses are then free for the first two years after they are introduced. Then they are available for a reduced price. Another option is to pay an annual subscription price, without an MEA membership, and pay per user or login.

“If you are going to have a lot of users, it is cheaper to become an MEA member and provide subject-matter experts from your company,” said Gann. “Any company, regardless of location, can become a member of MEA. You don't have to be located in the Midwest. MEA is primarily a regional association, but when we launched e-learning, we had a national and international product. The geographic boundaries fell away. We now have members all over the U.S.”

Tom Jackson, MEA's director of sales and marketing, added, “Since MEA operates as a not-for-profit, we can develop a less-expensive product with the best quality since we draw upon the expertise of our members. There is safety in numbers instead of just relying on the opinion of one subject-matter expert. We developed the curriculum with a consensus approach.”

Vectren is one of the dozen organizations that helped develop ElectricU's curriculum. “We use it with our linemen individually, rather than in a classroom setting,” said J.D. Street, Vectren's manager of technical training. “We call it rain-day work, because our folks can use it on foul-weather days to be productive and keep learning.”

Strengthening Mutual Aid and Technical Education

Jeff Marrett is one of five apprentice linemen at Vectren who are the first to use ElectricU at the utility. “The courses showed me how little I knew when I started,” Marrett said. “I particularly learned a lot about how to do tasks that we don't often do in the field, such as how to allow for the proper clearance over a swimming pool. The training is very practical, though. After I completed the online training for phasing, I applied it in the field the very next day.”

Streeter believes ElectricU's biggest benefit is that it builds continuity in the training programs from one utility to another, which is important in mutual-aid situations. “We had storms last weekend, and I used crews from Flint, Michigan, and Chattanooga, Tennessee, who were unfamiliar with our territory,” Street said. “When crews have been through the same training as our crews, they can better understand our system, such as how we ground and use system clearances. ElectricU training provides common ground, which will be beneficial in the years to come.”

The ElectricU curriculum also can provide common ground for training offered at two-year technical schools. Through its Partners in Excellence program, MEA is working with schools such as the Southwest Linemen's College and the Center for Energy Workforce Development to shape training programs for linemen. “ElectricU courses will provide a foundation for that training,” Streeter said.

In addition to training linemen, Streeter said ElectricU can be used as part of substation technical training, supervisory training and to help engineers understand the operational practices and jargon of linemen.

Other Uses for ElectricU

Shon Bourke, manager of safety and technical training at the Omaha Public Power District, said his utility plans to use the curriculum primarily to train its line technicians and cable splicers. “In the past, this training was mainly based on the knowledge of the instructor,” he said. “ElectricU standardizes the training with numerous organizations helping to develop the content.”

Exelon Corp. is using ElectricU modules to help its distribution operations staff understand a lineman's job. Thomas Cunningham, a dispatcher at Exelon, said the electrical safety module, in particular, helped him to better understand what the safety concerns are of the crews in the field. Exelon also plans to use individual modules to supplement the curriculum of its lineman's training school.

“Our training course for distribution operations staff is 16 weeks in length, so these modules break up the class time with individual learning sessions,” said Kathleen Thigpen, Exelon's senior training specialist. “Also, the format is very interactive with graphs, animations and simulations. This makes the learning more engaging.”

Once ElectricU is widely in use, MEA plans to add another level of benefit to the shared curriculum.

“One of our hopes is to develop a users group to share best practices on implementing the courses,” Jackson said. “We may also get to the point where members of the users group will develop their own courses that they share with each other. The users group would be industry-wide. In some industries, it's a hard sell of getting companies to help each other, but the utility industry has a long track record of doing that. Utilities are open to discussing operational, safety, technology and codes issues. As an association, we are about getting members to share information with one another.”