Electrical Lineman Training Yard Largest in SC
The Horry-Georgetown Technical College (HGTC) Electrical Lineman training yard located on the Conway Campus underwent another expansion project recently making it the largest in the state of South Carolina. The project was fully donated by HGTC industry partner, Santee Cooper.
Through the partnership with Santee Cooper, the HGTC Lineman training yard was selected by the transmission training department as the location for a newly constructed transmission training site. The construction includes eight (8) different structure designs that are used in transmission construction for overhead to train HGTC students and Santee Cooper employees.
With the completion of the project, HGTC has the largest electrical lineman yard in the state; both in size and equipment, i.e., poles, conductors. HGTC is the only college in the state with the three disciplines: overhead distribution, underground distribution, and transmission overhead.
“This is a big deal for our electrical lineman program and HGTC as a training entity. This transmission addition will separate HGTC from every college offering training currently and add extra value to our student graduates with employers,” said Brandon Haselden, Assistant Vice President/Dean.
“We are proud of our industry partnership with Santee Cooper in the designing, constructing, and building of an electrical power transmission training yard. We are pleased to add the electrical transmission training to the current HGTC Electrical Lineman program to help meet the needs of a properly trained electrical power grid workforce of tomorrow,” said Dr. Marilyn Murphy Fore, HGTC President.
With the latest addition constructed by fall semester students, the training yard includes 52 poles ranging from 30' to 65' in height, hardware for overhead construction training, and a new comprehensive underground training facility.
“This project opens up possibilities for those who would like to work on electric transmission infrastructure,” said Mike Poston, Santee Cooper Chief Customer Officer. “Transmission line technicians work with higher voltages and larger equipment in more remote locations than the distribution system. It is a critical component to power delivery, and we thank Horry Georgetown Technical College for partnering with us to make this program possible.”
The Electrical Lineman program began in January 2015 following the initial construction of the lineman yard in November 2014. The program prepares students both mentally and physically to have the knowledge, skills, techniques, and desire to enter a utility and remarkably has a 98% job placement rate. The program is a one semester course and offers six (6) classes per year.