Wytheville Community College (WCC) celebrated the 15th cohort of power line workers in a graduation ceremony led by Perry Hughes, WCC Vice-President of Workforce Development and Occupational Programs, on the Wytheville campus on Friday, March 14, 2025.
“We are proud to have this 15th cohort of graduates of the WCC Power Line Worker Program. This program has grown from an idea to a nationally known program. I know that each of you are ready to go to work. You still have a lot to learn. It is a lifelong learning process in this field, and I know that you are ready for this work. Thank you for choosing WCC as your training provider.”
As of this class, 362 students have successfully completed the Power Line Worker Training Program at WCC since its inception in 2017. Mike Morrison, Power Line Worker Training Instructor, addressed the group of graduates offering advice: “I know the struggle. I know the pain, and you all went through it. Not everybody is cut out for this job, but you all did it. Remember, you have this skill and this trade now, and nobody can take that away from you. You have mentally, physically, and emotionally climbed to the top, and I’m proud of you.” Students who complete the program in 14 weeks gain certifications and the skills to become successful power line workers. Skills that these students learn include electrical theory, aerial framing, rigging, safety, commercial truck driving, and the use of utility service equipment. WCC hosted the students and their families for breakfast before the ceremony.
After the ceremony, the new graduates accompanied Jimmy Powers, WCC Power Line Instructor, to the pole yard to show off some of their newly acquired climbing skills to families and friends. Powers is a graduate of the first WCC Power Line Program and is now a lead instructor for the students. Powers said to the graduates: “This wasn’t easy. I told you there would be brick walls, and you would ask yourself, ‘Why did I do this?’ but each of you kept going. You kept on, and each day you got better. To see you on the first day on the pole and to actually see you at this point - wow. That came from within you.” Many of the graduates are either already employed with a power line company or continuing in the program to receive their CDLs.
For more information about WCC’s Power Line Worker Program, please call (276) 223-4717, or email Lisa Lowe, Workforce Development Credentials and Career Coach, at llowe@wcc.vccs.edu.
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pictured: WCC Power Line Worker March 2025 Graduates: Josed Antuna, Lucas Butler, Mario Meza-Campbell, Paul Minnick, and Jacob Robinson