Nov 29, 2023 | Student Success , Inspiring Success , Workforce Development , Featured , Columbia Campus

Columbia State Celebrates Pre-Apprentice Lineworker Cohort with Mini-Rodeo

Columbia State Pre-Apprentice Lineworker Academy fall 2023 cohort. Pictured (standing, left to right): Luke Clinard from Leoma; Grant Knoll from Murfreesboro; Mason Seaton from Franklin; Sid Brown from Lawrenceburg; Craig Delk from Hampshire; Jacob Harden from Shelbyville; Kaden Jones from Centerville; Troy Smalling, Columbia State Pre-Apprentice Lineworker Academy instructor; Brayden Chunn from Greenbrier; and Tanner Westmoreland from Franklin. (Sitting, left to right): Cooper Hicks from Nashville; Carter Housch from Chapel Hill; and Landon Waller from Franklin.
Columbia State Pre-Apprentice Lineworker Academy fall 2023 cohort. Pictured (standing, left to right): Luke Clinard from Leoma; Grant Knoll from Murfreesboro; Mason Seaton from Franklin; Sid Brown from Lawrenceburg; Craig Delk from Hampshire; Jacob Harden from Shelbyville; Kaden Jones from Centerville; Troy Smalling, Columbia State Pre-Apprentice Lineworker Academy instructor; Brayden Chunn from Greenbrier; and Tanner Westmoreland from Franklin. (Sitting, left to right): Cooper Hicks from Nashville; Carter Housch from Chapel Hill; and Landon Waller from Franklin.

The Columbia State Community College Office of Workforce and Continuing Education recently hosted a Pre-Apprentice Lineworker Academy Mini-Rodeo that allowed students to demonstrate the skills they learned during the seven-week program.

Pictured (left to right): Columbia State Community College Pre-Apprentice Lineworker Academy Mini-Rodeo overall winners Cooper Hicks from Nashville in first place, Craig Delk from Hampshire in third place, and Brayden Chunn from Greenbrier in second place.

Pictured (left to right): Columbia State Community College Pre-Apprentice Lineworker Academy Mini-Rodeo overall winners Cooper Hicks from Nashville in first place, Craig Delk from Hampshire in third place, and Brayden Chunn from Greenbrier in second place.

 

“I cannot say enough good things about this program and our partnerships with local utilities and municipalities,” said Melody Murphy, Columbia State Workforce and Continuing Education director. “These students spend seven hard weeks working on the pole yard to learn the necessary skills to become apprentice lineworkers, and they will follow that up with skills training to obtain their CDL Class A-57 license. I am happy to announce that this cohort of twelve participants was fully funded.”

Upon completion of the program, the students received a Tennessee Valley Public Power Association climbing certification, first aid and CPR certifications, OSHA 10 with ET&D certification and NSC flagger certification. In addition, the students are prepared to sit for a commercial driver’s license.

During the mini-rodeo, students competed in different activities including the 80-foot pole climb, bell change and switch transfer.

In the first activity, students climb up and down an 80-foot pole, which is a necessary part of the TVPPA Climbing Lab Certification. In this activity, Cooper Hicks from Nashville—with a new Columbia State record of 52 seconds—came in first place, Mason Seaton from Franklin came in second place and Craig Delk from Hampshire came in third place.

Jacob Harden from Shelbyville completes the bell change.
Jacob Harden from Shelbyville completes the bell change.

 

The bell change and switch transfer are activities lineman would do in the field as a result of lightning, loose connections or replacement of aging materials to maintain electricity for those in the service area.

In the bell change, students climb a 40-foot pole and change out the bell that holds the line to the pole. In this activity, Brayden Chunn from Greenbrier came in first place, Grant Knoll from Murfreesboro came in second place and Tanner Westmoreland from Franklin came in third place.

In the switch transfer, students climb a 40-foot pole to change out the switch attached to the cross-arm of the pole. In this activity, Brayden Chunn came in first place, Craig Delk came in second place and Landon Waller from Franklin came in third place.

Luke Clinard from Leoma completes the switch change.
Luke Clinard from Leoma completes the switch change.

 

In the overall rodeo, Cooper Hicks came in first place, Craig Delk came in third place and Brayden Chunn from Greenbrier came in in second place.

In addition to his performance in the rodeo, Sid Brown from Lawrenceburg was presented with the Pre-Apprentice Lineworker Academy Outstanding Student Award.

Sid Brown from Lawrenceburg receives the Pre-Apprentice Lineworker Academy Outstanding Student Award.
Sid Brown from Lawrenceburg receives the Pre-Apprentice Lineworker Academy Outstanding Student Award.

 

Ten scholarships were awarded through grants from the United Way of Greater Nashville’s (UWGN) Transformation Fund and the Metallica Scholars Initiative (MSI).

Ten scholarships were awarded through grants from the United Way of Greater Nashville’s (UWGN) Transformation Fund and the Metallica Scholars Initiative (MSI).

Ten scholarships were awarded through grants from the United Way of Greater Nashville’s (UWGN) Transformation Fund and the Metallica Scholars Initiative (MSI).

 

UWGN’s Transformation Fund is intended to fuel transformational outcomes across the UWGN multi-county footprint by investing in several priority areas, including workforce development.  Funding for the Transformation Fund was provided to UWGN by a generous gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.

Pictured (left to right): Metallica Scholars Initiative recipients Tanner Westmoreland from Columbia, Craig Delk from Hampshire, Carter Housch from Chapel Hill, Jacob Harden from Shelbyville and Grant Knoll from Murfreesboro.
Pictured (left to right): Metallica Scholars Initiative recipients Tanner Westmoreland from Columbia, Craig Delk from Hampshire, Carter Housch from Chapel Hill, Jacob Harden from Shelbyville and Grant Knoll from Murfreesboro.

 

MSI was launched in 2019 by Metallica’s foundation, All Within My Hands (AWMH), in partnership with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) to provide workforce opportunities for students interested in gaining the skills and training necessary to find meaningful and well-paying careers in fields and positions. Columbia State is the first community college in Tennessee to receive a MSI grant.

Pictured (left to right): Lawrenceburg Utility System Mark Fields Lineman Scholarship recipients Sid Brown from Lawrenceburg and Luke Clinard from Leoma.
Pictured (left to right): Lawrenceburg Utility System Mark Fields Lineman Scholarship recipients Sid Brown from Lawrenceburg and Luke Clinard from Leoma.

 

Two other participants were recipients of the Lawrenceburg Utility System Mark Fields Lineman Scholarship. These scholarships are a partnership between Lawrenceburg Utility System and Tennessee Valley Authority in memory of Mark Fields. They are awarded to high school graduates from Lawrence County Schools yearly.

The Pre-Apprentice Lineworker program is a result of communities from across Middle Tennessee coming together to fill a need in the workforce.

For more information about the program, please visit www.ColumbiaState.edu/Lineworker. Upcoming cohorts are scheduled for 2024. All individuals interested in the program should register through the link and it will place them on a contact list for future classes. Scholarships will be available for spring, and interested participants can sign up for the contact list at www.campusce.net/columbiastate/course/course.aspx?catId=6.