HCTC Lineman Training Program is successful choice

Aubre Hammons increased his salary by 33 percent compared to his time as a coal miner after completing the Lineman Training Program at Hazard Community and Technical College. Numerous job offers came his way and he s very happy he chose L.E. Myers in Charleston West Virginia in February.

The choice he made to enroll at HCTC was perfect for him. This training program was great. The class was challenging, informative, and fun at the same time. I made some lifelong friends while I was there, he said.
Hammons said he especially appreciated instructors Larry Knight and Chris Engle because of the way the class was structured. We were allowed to adjust to the different sensation of working at various heights. They took a personal interest in helping each of us learn the material and get back to work. I can t begin to express my gratitude to them for taking the time to teach us the basics of line work, he noted.

Besides the instructors, he has high praise for the entire HCTC staff. They were always eager to help us out if we had any questions or concerns, not just with the class but in our personal lives as well. They really made me feel welcome there. Even after graduation they kept us informed of job openings and leads to contact with various electrical contractors and utility companies. They go above and beyond to help us achieve our goal, Hammons stated.

This program is great for the region. It brings hope to a group of people who through no fault of their own are out of work and seeking honest work to feed their families. It is important to our communities because it allows us to maintain them by keeping a residence there, our children in the schools, and adds much needed revenue to our economies that have been crippled by the loss of coal mining jobs. The program is just what we needed to get people back to work and earning money. The class I attended had people from several different counties and we all came together as a family.

Others considering the Lineman Training Program should enroll, according to Hammons. I m from the hills of Harlan County and coal mining will always be in my blood but line work has been more challenging and rewarding for me.

In his job with L.E. Myers, Hammons is involved in building steel lattice transmission towers for AEP. His job mainly consists of lacing and standing steel towers, but every day can bring a different challenge. I may be climbing towers one day, and hauling materials the next. The good thing about this line of work is that it has many different tasks before you reach the final goal.

Hammons maintains his residence in Lynch where his parents, grandfather and great aunt still reside. He has one daughter who is in the honors program as a freshman at the University of Kentucky.

Anyone interested in the Lineman Training Program may contact Keila.Miller@kctcs.edu via email or by calling (606) 487-3287.