Have you ever stopped to think about how electricity gets to your home or job? You flip a switch and the lights come on, or you plug in your phone charger and it starts charging. But have you ever thought about what happens behind the scenes to make that possible? That's where lineworkers come in.
Lineworkers are skilled professionals who work on both overhead and underground power lines and electrical systems to ensure that electricity is transmitted safely and efficiently across cities, counties, and states. They are responsible for installing, maintaining, and repairing the infrastructure that carries electricity from power plants to homes, businesses, schools, hospitals, factories, and all of the other buildings and facilities that make up our communities.
Without lineworkers, we wouldn't have electricity. That means no lights, no refrigeration, no heating or air conditioning, no internet…the list goes on and on. But lineworkers aren't just important for our daily conveniences. Lineworkers play a critical role in keeping our modern society running safely and smoothly.
When a storm or natural disaster strikes, lineworkers are often first on the scene. They know that even a few minutes without electricity can have a huge economic impact on a community and can put lives in serious danger. They work tirelessly in dangerous and extreme conditions, at all hours of the day or night, to restore the power needed to keep hospitals running during a storm, and students cool during the hottest school days.
It’s no wonder that lineworkers are often called the "unsung heroes" of our society! Their work can be hard and dangerous, and requires immense amounts of expertise, skill, and bravery. Yet they willingly and proudly do this work to ensure that we have the electricity we need to power our lives.
Lineworkers also have a critical role in enabling a bright future for our country and communities. As the world becomes more reliant on electricity, lineworkers are responsible for ensuring that the infrastructure can handle the increased demand by learning and working with cutting-edge technologies to make the power grid more efficient and reliable.
The job of a lineworker is not an easy one, but it’s an important and rewarding one. They are essential to our way of life and play a vital role in our society. So, the next time you turn on a light or charge your phone, take a moment to appreciate the lineworkers who make it all possible!
Interested in becoming a lineworker? Learn more about how to get started with an electrical apprenticeship to join the ranks of these brave men and women!
It’s an exciting time to be a woman in the trades. While it’s no secret that the construction trades have historically been a male-dominated industry, women are breaking down barriers and making their mark in the trades. You can now find women on most job sites, working in a wide range of trades, from carpentry and plumbing, to electrical and HVAC.
In fact, over the last five years, the number of tradeswomen increased by over 32%!
With careers that provide exciting projects, meaningful work, fantastic benefits, great pay, limitless opportunities for growth, and an enviable work-life balance, it’s no wonder that construction tradespeople hear “wow, you’re so lucky!” quite often.
For many people and in many professions, success often does come down to luck - who you know, who you meet, being in the right place at the right time, etc. - but a successful career in the trades has nothing to do with luck.
Have you ever been stuck in a job that makes the movie Groundhog Day, or actual Groundhog Day, hit a little too close to home - one that seems to repeat itself over and over again, day after day, no matter how hard you try to break the cycle?
With AI (artificial intelligence) and robotics becoming more and more sophisticated, many people are starting to wonder about the future of work and worry about their jobs. Will chatbots take over the jobs of customer service agents and receptionists? Will bookkeeping and data entry be handled only by machines? Will we never again interact with a traditional human server or cashier in the near future? Will robots handle all of our manufacturing and logistics?
While AI is starting to significantly impact and replace jobs and job functions in many industries, there are many skills that AI can never replace, and many of those skills are critical for success in the building trades.
Despite advanced AI technology, there’s a lot that AI can’t do, like the parts of jobs that require:
Tired of working job after job, feeling like you have little purpose or direction for what lies beyond today or tomorrow? Longing for a career where you can learn, grow, and thrive, earn a great living, and know that your work is important and meaningful?
All of this and more is possible through an apprenticeship in the building trades.
“We try to teach people in an apprenticeship that we prepare you for a career. It’s not just a job for tomorrow. Tomorrow’s job may end the day after tomorrow, but a career is going to continue,” said Todd Stafford, Executive Director of the electrical training ALLIANCE, in a recent podcast interview about electrical apprenticeships.
In the episode, Mr. Stafford goes on to explain how apprenticeship:
Want to get started with a rich and rewarding career in the building trades, but not sure which craft to pursue? It can be tough to decide and to know how to decide.
As with any big decision in life, it’s important to do your research and carefully weigh the options before making a commitment. While all of the trades are great career options, you need to figure out which one is right for you.
Thinking of joining the construction trades, and wondering if you have what it takes to be successful?
Being a successful tradesperson requires much more skill than simply being able to swing a hammer or weld a pipe. A master tradesperson has unique talents and meticulously honed skills developed over many years of training and hard work.
Similar to any job, it’s not just the hard skills and know-how that matter in the building trades; the soft skills matter, too. In fact, soft skills might matter more! Many of the most successful tradespeople entered their careers with little to no prior knowledge or experience in their field, but their soft skills are what have made them successful. So, what are those qualities and skills?
When people think of construction work, they often think of jobs, and not careers. But for most in the construction trades, their work is not a job, not a career, but a true vocation. Don’t believe us? A recent report showed that 83% of tradespeople are highly satisfied in their choice of work!
What is it about the construction trades careers that is so appealing to hundreds of thousands of U.S. workers? Here are just a few of the reasons why a career in the construction trades is such a great choice:
There are a myriad of misconceptions and myths about work in the construction trades: that it’s grueling work, it’s dangerous, and, maybe the most common misconception, that it doesn’t pay well.
But the truth is the building trades don’t just offer good pay, they offer great pay. Did you know that some tradespeople earn high five-figure salaries, and can even make north of six figures as they progress in their career? The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook shows some impressive numbers for 2021 median pay in the trades:
