Lineworker New Mexico
Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships are the best way to start a career as a lineworker. Apprentices receive training and a salary while they learn the skills needed to grow their career. Starting salaries for apprenticeship programs begin at $16/hour and increase as you gain more skills. Apprenticeship programs are typically 4 years long, after which you will have earned a journeyman status and be able to move forward in your career as a lineworker.
Community College
A community college is a public institution that’s typically run by the state or local government. It offers two-year degrees and certificates, so if you don’t want to commit to a four-year college, this is a great choice for you. You can also attend community college for a few years before transferring to another college.
Community colleges are relatively affordable, with an average tuition of $3,440 per year. However, this number can vary depending on where you live—in some states it’s free! Check out what tuition is like in your area.
The benefit of attending a community college isn’t just the affordability: many courses are offered online and during afternoons or evenings so that students who may have jobs or other commitments during the day can take classes when they’re available.
Training Center
The Training Center consists of three major components: the classroom building, the lab building and the field training area. The classroom building houses classrooms, student lockers, a cafeteria and administrative offices. The lab building is a two-story structure that houses electrical labs, insulating materials labs and metering labs. The field training area includes facilities for learning pole climbing techniques and tower erection techniques.
The Training Center also provides technical training to line workers at member cooperatives in New Mexico as well as other states. In addition, the center offers classes through an apprenticeship program with community colleges in New Mexico to help students gain entry into the electrical industry.
The address of the training center is:
New Mexico Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NMRECA)
Training Center
PO Box 1690
Moriarty NM 87035
Phone – 505-832-5999 or 800-273-5999 Fax – 505-832-5889 (from within New Mexico) or 800-380-5999 Email – claudia@nmreca.com Website – www.nmrecatrainingcenter.org
Training and Testing
Training can be obtained through a combination of on-the-job and classroom instruction, provided by companies, trade associations, community colleges and training centers. The testing process to obtain the Journeyman Lineman and Apprentice Lineman licenses is mostly identical to that required for the Telecommunications Technician license.
The following are some of the basic learning goals for a journeyman lineman:
- Safely install, repair and maintain transmission lines, switching stations and distribution systems
- To demonstrate safe work practices while performing such tasks as installation, maintenance operations and repair of overhead/underground lines in accordance with standards as specified by the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC)
- To demonstrate safe work practices while performing such tasks as installing street lighting poles and luminaires up to 480 volts in accordance with standards as specified by the NESC
Benefits
- Medical, dental, vision and 401(k) with company matching
- Paid vacation, sick days and holidays
- Pension plan
- Educational assistance
- Advancement opportunities
Salary
Since lineworker is an occupation that requires a high level of skill and training, it’s not surprising to see how much people in this career can earn. The average salary range for a lineworker goes from $39,930 to $80,000 annually, with the median at about $52,700. This means that half of all lineworkers make more than $52,700 and half make less.
The average salary for a lineworker in New Mexico falls toward the higher end of the national range at about $75,600 per year with a median of around $57,800. As you’ve probably guessed by now, location plays an important role in determining your salary as a lineworker. In fact, the biggest factor contributing to this variation is cost of living: if an area has a higher cost of living compared to other places in America (or even within the same state), it may be harder to maintain one’s standard of living and salaries will likely be higher accordingly.
The other big factor affecting pay is experience—higher levels of experience generally correlate with higher salaries. For example: starting out as an apprentice electrician could mean making around $26k – $36k per year while someone at journeyman level could earn upwards of 50k – 67k per year! The middle ground between these two extremes lies somewhere in the 40s and changes depending on where you are located.
Trade Associations
In the United States, trade associations are your one-stop shop for lineworker training and education. The ANSI/ASSE Z490.1-2009 standard defines worker training as “the process of educating workers on best practices related to occupational safety and health, including how to perform their jobs in a safe manner consistent with the company’s procedures and policies.”
Trade associations have a stellar reputation for providing high-quality worker training and education programs that are both convenient and affordable.
Whether you’re looking for an introductory course or a more rigorous certification program, trade associations can provide you with the tools to get job-ready or become a certified journeyman lineworker.
Lineworkers are needed to provide the backbone of power, fiber and networking infrastructure in our country.
Power, fiber and networking are the backbone of our nation’s communication infrastructure. Lineworkers install and maintain this critical system that allows us to stay connected 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in all kinds of weather. In addition to keeping the lights on, lineworkers also construct fiber optic and wireless networks.