The Rocky Mountain Lineman School takes learning to new heights

Since its inception in 2008, nearly 600 students have graduated from the Rocky Mountain Lineman School (RMLS), located at Pinello Ranch.

Following years of hard work by now-retired linemen Marlin Bales and current supervisor Warren Stewart to get the school off the ground, RMLS is now one of two colleges in the state of Colorado that offers entry-level curriculum to the electric lineman industry. Interested participants from all over the world come to this school -- a joint effort between Colorado Springs Utilities, Trinidad State Junior College and Pikes Peak Community College -- to begin their journey in the craft.

"Between 75% - 85% of students find jobs as groundmen or apprentices, after graduation," said field instructor Karl Shafer, a retired lineman from Colorado Springs Utilities. Shafer worked for Springs Utilities for 28 years before retiring in 2010.

In addition to Shafer, there are five other field instructors, all of whom are former linemen and most of whom also retired from Springs Utilities. Each one of these men has 40 or more years of experience in the craft.

Instruction at the Rocky Mountain Lineman School includes safety and overall electrical system operations, including electrical distribution, basic electrical theory, and overhead and underground operations and maintenance.

Students learn the skills and values utility companies seek when hiring apprentice linemen including a strong work ethic, good attitude, dependability and -- of course -- climbing experience. This typically is followed by a four or five-year paid apprenticeship where the student chooses to go to work.

“Our students find jobs all over the country: from California to Massachusetts and Florida to Washington state,” Shafer said. “There is a huge market for linemen right now. It seems like the open positions cannot be filled fast enough, and that’s where our program can make a small impact. We can help provide our industry with what they are requesting in a new hire.”

While going to lineman school is not required to be a lineworker, it is extremely helpful.

Colorado Springs Utilities lineworker Ross Precord was in the first Rocky Mountain Lineman School graduating class in August 2008. After graduating, he was hired as an apprentice by Mountain States Line Constructors. In 2016, he was hired as a journey lineman for Springs Utilities and currently works out of the north district.

“Going through the Rocky Mountain Lineman School was such a rewarding experience,” Precord said. “It gave me all the skills and experience I needed to go out and be an effective apprentice. I love my job: there is nothing greater than going home at the end of the day knowing that I helped keep the lights on for thousands of people every single day.”

The average annual salary for a lineman in Colorado is $78,751 per year, not including overtime, which can easily add 10%-15% annually. In comparison in-state tuition for attending RMLS is only around $11,000.

The school offers two 15-week programs each year: one that starts in January and the other that starts in August. The average class size is around 25 students, although the class that just graduated in November 2020 had 35 students in it, as will the next class that begins on Jan. 11, 2021.

And to understand just how high the demand is for one of those coveted spots: there are already 20 students on the waiting list for the January 2021 class.

To register or learn more: https://trinidadstate.edu/line-tech/