Iowa

Utility Line Worker Iowa

Apprentice training.

Training to be a utility lineman is not something you can just jump into; it’s not like walking into the local grocery store and getting a job. The training is rigorous, and once completed, you will not only be a skilled lineman, but also have the satisfaction of knowing that few people in the world can do what you do.

During your apprenticeship, you learn how to work with electricity safely by installing and repairing power lines, transformers and other equipment used in delivering electricity. You must be able to read blueprints and diagrams that show how the electrical system is laid out so that you can troubleshoot problems on the job site.

IBEW training.

A worker who wants to improve their utility lineman Iowa skills can do so through the local IBEW training center. This is available to both union and non-union workers, which means it does not matter if you are an IBEW member or not. It is important for a worker to be the most educated about their field as possible so that they can be successful in it and this is one way to do that.

The IBEW training center offers several different types of classes that are related directly to utility line work. It provides a class on overhead power distribution as well as residential service installation and maintenance. These two classes alone give the person who takes them a great deal of knowledge about how electricity flows through a home and what the best methods of repairing problems are. This type of knowledge will help any electrician who wants to work their way up into becoming an apprentice lineman.

The IBEW also offers courses on telecommunications wiring which is useful for those electricians who would like to learn more about this field which has been growing at rapid rates in recent years. Many electricians have found success by branching out into this area and taking advantage of new technology that allows them to offer customers even more services than just standard electrical service.

Iowa Central Community College training.

Iowa Central Community College offers training in electric power. This is a two-year program that costs $6,000.00 and is located in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

If you are interested in this program, you must have:

  • high school diploma or GED
  • driver’s license and clean driving record
  • passing score on the Accuplacer test

Upon completion of this program, students should be able to:

  • understand electrical theory and applications as related to commercial and residential installations
  • understand concepts learned through classroom discussions, visual aids, demonstrations and laboratory experiments

This program has a 100% job placement rate for the past four years.

Drake Area Lineman Training Center.

Iowa is a state full of job opportunities for the hardworking men and women who want to work in the outdoors. High-paying construction jobs are available all over this state, including the Drake Area Linemen Training Center. Here, you can learn at your own pace how to become an electrician or lineman by taking the course that best suits you.

The position of lineman comes with many different duties depending on what company one works for, but there are some common tasks that are held across all companies within Iowa. For instance, linemen often lay new service lines (entire routes between substations) and install new equipment at existing substations. They also make sure that power poles are secure and have enough electrical capacity to carry a steady stream of electricity throughout the state while being accessible in case of emergency.

How do I find jobs?

If you are interested in becoming a lineman, you will want to look into careers at utilities and telecommunications companies. Some of the top employers can be found on the website of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) or on the website of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). You may also want to check out jobs offered by independent electrical contractors. The Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) has a list of apprenticeship programs that you might find useful.

What skills and abilities do I need?

  • You’ll need to be able to work at heights. In fact, you’ll often be high off the ground, working while straddling a utility pole or hanging from an aerial lift.
  • You’ll need to be able to work with dangerous tools and equipment.
  • You’ll need to be able to work alone, so you must have good problem-solving skills and excellent judgment. You should also have good eye-hand coordination and spatial sense—that is, you should be able to orient yourself in space and understand where everything is located around you in relation to the pole or other equipment.
  • You’ll need endurance because much of your job is physically demanding: long hours on your feet, climbing up poles with equipment strapped on your body, lifting heavy objects repeatedly throughout the day. It’s important that you can bend and twist into uncomfortable positions for long periods of time because much of your work will involve complicated installations requiring stretching for tools or wires that are just out of reach.

Where do utility linemen work?

  • Utility companies
  • Telecommunications companies

Regardless of where you work, you’ll be spending a lot of time outdoors in all kinds of weather. You will be climbing poles and towers up to heights of 100 feet or more. You may also have to negotiate ladders and stairs at various heights.

Your work could take place in a small town or big city, on a farm, in rural areas, mountainous regions, on highways and railways.

What is it like to be a utility lineman?

“Civilian” workers are most often the ones to put up phone poles, string wires, and plant trees. But don’t let their other-wordly titles fool you: when it comes to big projects and your job as a lineman, they’re both part of the same game. On average, linemen spend 12 hours a day on site. And while they might be called in at any hour of day or night, if a major project is underway, that’s where we spend most of our time: working long shifts with little breaks and often in unbelievably intense temperatures. From 6am to 2am for five days straight…and then you get three days off before doing it all over again!

On top of that, linemen are constantly working out at the gym—carrying heavy loads on their backs for long distances during workout periods and lifting equipment or other objects during non-workout periods—and taking care of themselves by eating well and recovering from physical exertions through proper rest and recovery. For example, we hit the gym three times a week for an hour at a time for calisthenics (pushups), pullups (chin ups) and squats. We lift weights twice a week—typically just light dumbbells—for about 15 minutes each time; we do a lot of core work by holding position on an exercise ball (a mini trampoline), lunges (jumping knee raises), planks (holding yourself in an incline pushup position), sitting power cleans (lifting weights from your shoulders up past your hips) and chin ups (putting feet into straps attached around tree branches). We also take advantage of opportunities like yoga classes or Pilates sessions to maintain flexibility.

What are the working conditions?

Working conditions can vary widely. You may be exposed to traffic hazards, bad weather, and electrical hazards. Linemen often work outdoors and must do so in all kinds of weather. They may also have to work at night because power outages occur more often at night and many utilities are under pressure to restore service as quickly as possible. Working conditions for linemen will continue to improve due to technological advances that provide more protective equipment, such as insulated gloves and safety belts.

What are the employment opportunities in Iowa?

By the way, if you’re still looking for a career, here are nine reasons Iowa is a great place to live.

  • Cities with “Iowa” in their names are safer. Cedar Rapids (the state’s largest city), Des Moines, Cedar Falls and Waterloo all make it into the top 20 cities with the lowest crime rates in America.
  • Iowa has one of the highest homeownership rates in America. The average homeowner owns his or her home outright; only 8 percent of homeowners have mortgages and owe money on them.
  • Iowa is one of only three states that have a lower unemployment rate than the national rate (4.4 percent vs. 4.5 percent). And it’s also one of only two states where this doesn’t change when you take out people who want to work but can’t find jobs—only 6 percent want jobs but can’t find them in Iowa, compared with 7 percent nationally.
  • From 1982 through 2012, Iowa had one of the lowest job-loss rates in America—and while its current employment situation isn’t perfect, it hasn’t slowed down at all since 2010 unlike nearly every other state.

How much do utility linemen earn in Iowa?

  • Average Salary: $71,000
  • Average Hourly Wage: $31.88
  • Annual Salary (AED): $57,000
  • Annual Hourly Wage: $26.05
  • Salary Range: $36,000 – $95,000

There are many opportunities to become a utility lineman in Iowa, both through community college and independent training centers, and for those who already have a job as an electrical apprentice.

There are many opportunities to become a utility lineman in Iowa, both through community college and independent training centers, and for those who already have a job as an electrical apprentice.

If you’re new to the industry, the following resources can help you get started:

Utility lineman Iowa

Apprentice training.

Training to be a utility lineman is not something you can just jump into; it’s not like walking into the local grocery store and getting a job. The training is rigorous, and once completed, you will not only be a skilled lineman, but also have the satisfaction of knowing that few people in the world can do what you do.

During your apprenticeship, you learn how to work with electricity safely by installing and repairing power lines, transformers and other equipment used in delivering electricity. You must be able to read blueprints and diagrams that show how the electrical system is laid out so that you can troubleshoot problems on the job site.

IBEW training.

A worker who wants to improve their utility lineman Iowa skills can do so through the local IBEW training center. This is available to both union and non-union workers, which means it does not matter if you are an IBEW member or not. It is important for a worker to be the most educated about their field as possible so that they can be successful in it and this is one way to do that.

The IBEW training center offers several different types of classes that are related directly to utility line work. It provides a class on overhead power distribution as well as residential service installation and maintenance. These two classes alone give the person who takes them a great deal of knowledge about how electricity flows through a home and what the best methods of repairing problems are. This type of knowledge will help any electrician who wants to work their way up into becoming an apprentice lineman.

The IBEW also offers courses on telecommunications wiring which is useful for those electricians who would like to learn more about this field which has been growing at rapid rates in recent years. Many electricians have found success by branching out into this area and taking advantage of new technology that allows them to offer customers even more services than just standard electrical service.

Iowa Central Community College training.

Iowa Central Community College offers training in electric power. This is a two-year program that costs $6,000.00 and is located in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

If you are interested in this program, you must have:

  • high school diploma or GED
  • driver’s license and clean driving record
  • passing score on the Accuplacer test

Upon completion of this program, students should be able to:

  • understand electrical theory and applications as related to commercial and residential installations
  • understand concepts learned through classroom discussions, visual aids, demonstrations and laboratory experiments

This program has a 100% job placement rate for the past four years.

Drake Area Lineman Training Center.

Iowa is a state full of job opportunities for the hardworking men and women who want to work in the outdoors. High-paying construction jobs are available all over this state, including the Drake Area Linemen Training Center. Here, you can learn at your own pace how to become an electrician or lineman by taking the course that best suits you.

The position of lineman comes with many different duties depending on what company one works for, but there are some common tasks that are held across all companies within Iowa. For instance, linemen often lay new service lines (entire routes between substations) and install new equipment at existing substations. They also make sure that power poles are secure and have enough electrical capacity to carry a steady stream of electricity throughout the state while being accessible in case of emergency.

How do I find jobs?

If you are interested in becoming a lineman, you will want to investigate careers at utilities and telecommunications companies. Some of the top employers can be found on the website of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) or on the website of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). You may also want to check out jobs offered by independent electrical contractors. The Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) has a list of apprenticeship programs that you might find useful.

What skills and abilities do I need?

  • You’ll need to be able to work at heights. In fact, you’ll often be high off the ground, working while straddling a utility pole or hanging from an aerial lift.
  • You’ll need to be able to work with dangerous tools and equipment.
  • You’ll need to be able to work alone, so you must have good problem-solving skills and excellent judgment. You should also have good eye-hand coordination and spatial sense—that is, you should be able to orient yourself in space and understand where everything is located around you in relation to the pole or other equipment.
  • You’ll need endurance because much of your job is physically demanding long hours on your feet, climbing up poles with equipment strapped on your body, lifting heavy objects repeatedly throughout the day. It’s important that you can bend and twist into uncomfortable positions for long periods of time because much of your work will involve complicated installations requiring stretching for tools or wires that are just out of reach.

Where do utility linemen work?

  • Utility companies
  • Telecommunications companies

Regardless of where you work, you’ll be spending a lot of time outdoors in all kinds of weather. You will be climbing poles and towers up to heights of 100 feet or more. You may also have to negotiate ladders and stairs at various heights.

Your work could take place in a small town or big city, on a farm, in rural areas, mountainous regions, on highways and railways.

What is it like to be a utility lineman?

Line workers are most often the ones to put up phone poles, power poles, and string wires. On average, linemen spend 12 hours a day on site. And while they might be called in at any hour of day or night, if a major project is underway, that’s where we spend most of our time: working long shifts with little breaks and often in unbelievably intense temperatures. From 6am to 2am for five days straight…and then you get three days off before doing it all over again!

What are the working conditions?

Working conditions can vary widely. You may be exposed to traffic hazards, bad weather, and electrical hazards. Linemen often work outdoors and must do so in all kinds of weather. They may also have to work at night because power outages occur more often at night and many utilities are under pressure to restore service as quickly as possible. Working conditions for linemen will continue to improve due to technological advances that provide more protective equipment, such as insulated gloves and safety belts.

What are the employment opportunities in Iowa?

By the way, if you’re still looking for a career, here are nine reasons Iowa is a great place to live.

  • Cities in Iowa are safer. Cedar Rapids (the state’s largest city), Des Moines, Cedar Falls and Waterloo all make it into the top 20 cities with the lowest crime rates in America.
  • Iowa has one of the highest homeownership rates in America. The average homeowner owns his or her home outright; only 8 percent of homeowners have mortgages and owe money on them.
  • Iowa is one of only three states that have a lower unemployment rate than the national rate (4.4 percent vs. 4.5 percent). And it’s also one of only two states where this doesn’t change when you take out people who want to work but can’t find jobs—only 6 percent want jobs but can’t find them in Iowa, compared with 7 percent nationally.
  • From 1982 through 2012, Iowa had one of the lowest job-loss rates in America—and while its current employment situation isn’t perfect, it hasn’t slowed down at all since 2010 unlike nearly every other state.

How much do utility linemen earn in Iowa?

  • Average Salary: $71,000
  • Average Hourly Wage: $31.88
  • Annual Salary (AED): $57,000
  • Annual Hourly Wage: $26.05
  • Salary Range: $36,000 – $95,000

There are many opportunities to become a utility lineman in Iowa, both through community college and independent training centers, and for those who already have a job as an electrical apprentice.

There are many opportunities to become a utility lineman in Iowa, both through community college and independent training centers, and for those who already have a job as an electrical apprentice.

If you’re new to the industry, the following resources can help you get started:

  • Utilities Training Center – Lineman Training Programs: This school in Muscatine offers basic apprentice, journeyman update and continuing education courses. They also offer weekend classes, which can be beneficial if you prefer to work full-time while attending classes. Be aware that they do not accept all qualified applicants because of high demand for their courses.
  • Kirkwood Community College – Electrical Apprenticeship Program: This program is offered through four different locations throughout the state (Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, East Dubuque and Monticello). It covers the basics of utility line work along with mathematics and reading comprehension. There are options for working apprenticeships in conjunction with your classroom work. Requirements include having a GED or high school diploma (or equivalent), 18 years of age or older, passing an aptitude test and being able to obtain a drug screening card from the Department of Transportation within three months of beginning your program.