High school students get preview of PRCC lineman program

POPLARVILLE – Students from 10 area high school career centers got an up-close look at Pearl River Community College”s Utility Lineman Technology program recently.Approximately 70 juniors and seniors and 18 advisors attended the first PRCC Utility Lineman Field Day on April 22.PRCC is the only community college in Mississippi that offers an Associate in Applied Science degree or Certificate of Proficiency in Utility Lineman Technology.”Starting in the fall 2010, students must have their Class A commercial driver”s license permit/license and a Mississippi Department of Transportation physical and drug test before they will be allowed to take pole climbing or commercial truck driving,” said Susan Anderson, technical manager of the program. “We cannot allow the students to drive the bucket truck or digger truck without a permit. In the lineman classes, the students must be able to drive the trucks in order to participate in the class.”Activities included an overview of the program by instructor Randy Henry and demonstrations of pole climbing, use of heavy equipment by linemen, bucket truck operation, lineman safety. Jerry McBeth, Mississippi Power Co. area manager;, Rodney Beech, safety and training coordinator for Coast Electric Power Association; and T.L. Davis, PRCC construction equipment operation instructor, assisted with the demonstrations.Participating career-technical centers included Pearl River Central, Hattiesburg, Hancock, Petal, Picayune, North Forrest, Forrrest County Agricultural High School, Lamar County, Jefferson Davis County and Carl Loftin from Marion County.The Utility Lineman Technology program is partially funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The program is in the second year of the three-year grant.For additional information, contact Susan Anderson at 601 403-1120 or sanderson@prcc.edu or Randy Henry at 601403-8288 or rhenry@prcc.edu.