REC lineman, Eric Butler, was among 21 line workers from nine electric cooperatives in Virginia who graduated from apprentice to journeyman status following completion of thousands of hours of extensive training.
Butler, a lineman in REC's Culpeper regional office, completed his final Step 8 journeyman class in October at the Electric Cooperative Training Center in Palmyra. The Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives owns and operates the state-of-the-art center, which opened in May 2019.
To enter the Association's journeyman program, line workers must complete 8,000 hours of classroom and on-the-job training. Todd Butcher, the Association's manager of safety training, said the program incorporates climbing skills, knowledge of electricity, underground and substation work, safety and leadership, among other topics.
