Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) has significantly expanded its workforce training offerings with the launch of a new U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Line Repairer Registered Apprenticeship program. This three-year initiative is designed to provide advanced, structured instruction to employees of regional utility contractors, helping firms meet federally registered apprenticeship requirements necessary for bidding on large-scale infrastructure projects.

The program is administered through GNTC’s Office of Economic Development in partnership with Gridco, a grid infrastructure service company based in Birmingham, Alabama.

“GNTC’s Office of Economic Development was happy to partner with our area employers to add this apprenticeship offering and continue to train the pipeline of Electrical Lineworkers,” said Angela Berch, vice president of Economic Development at GNTC.

The inaugural cohort of nine apprentices began their training on August 11 at GNTC’s Polk County Campus in Rockmart. Utilizing the campus’s dedicated Lineworker facility, the program is a natural extension of GNTC’s successful Electrical Lineworker program, which was established in 2022 and has since graduated more than 100 students.

Structured Training for Critical Skills

The new Line Repairer apprenticeship is comprehensive, combining both classroom instruction and extensive on-the-job experience. Over the three-year timeline, GNTC is required to provide 144 hours of instruction annually (432 hours total), while the employer provides 2,000 hours of on-the-job training annually (6,000 hours total).

Apprentices will receive classroom and hands-on training in a robust curriculum covering essential industry skills.

“Apprentices will learn myriad skills, including safety, ropes, pole climbing, voltage readings, job briefings, operating trucks, single-phase power, troubleshooting, line repairs, primary cable terminations, pad mounts, three-phase primary work and energizing/deenergizing capacitor banks,” Berch explained.

Upon successful completion of the three years, graduates will receive a certificate of completion.

Partnership Driven by Industry Need

The development of the registered apprenticeship program was directly spurred by the needs of local industry partners. Gridco was one of two companies that approached GNTC requesting this specific type of training in northwest Georgia.

“Gridco contacted us early in 2025, and we worked over several months to iron out the apprenticeship details,” Berch noted. “Gridco assisted with curriculum development and registered employees for all 10 spots available in the first cohort.”

Gridco officials have hailed the program as a vital tool for workforce management and client support.

“Gridco is excited to partner with GNTC to start this DOL-approved Lineworker Apprentice program,” said Mike Caro, senior safety and training representative with Gridco. “Gridco sees a program like this as a great asset to both employee retention and support for our clients and the industry. We look forward to many years of working with GNTC to grow the apprenticeship program and solidify our relationship.”

The program is currently only open to existing utility contractor employees and is not available for open public enrollment.

The next cohort of the Line Repairer Registered Apprenticeship program is scheduled to begin in April 2026. The college plans to add more cohorts as demand among contractors increases, with enrollment capped at 10 apprentices per session.

GNTC’s Electrical Lineworker instructors for the program are Kevin Bishop and Chad Thompson.

Utility contractors seeking information about the DOL Line Repairer Registered Apprenticeship program are encouraged to contact GNTC’s Office of Economic Development at econdev@gntc.edu.