WAPA Linemen in St. Thomas Begin Training Program, Similar Effort to Commence on St. Croix in October
WAPA said Tuesday afternoon that linemen on Monday began an intense training regimen aimed at sharpening the skills required for the performance of daily assignments associated with electrical grid maintenance and upkeep.
2021-09-29 12:42:59 - VI News Staff
The training sessions, which run through early 2022, are staged on the grounds of the Reichhold Center on St. Thomas, WAPA said. A similar training program for linemen on St. Croix will be held on the Agriculture Fair Grounds in Lower Love beginning October 18.
Interim Executive Director Noel Hodge said training is mandatory to meet regulatory standards of operations and ensure high levels of safety for personnel working in the field. “WAPA is partnering with Electric Cities of Georgia (ECG) to provide the training. We began the training back in 2019 originally to secure certification of our line personnel for energized line or hot work, however, the program was not completed because of the global COVID-19 pandemic which took hold last year," he said.
Hodge said the training sessions that got underway Monday focuses on the outstanding training courses to secure certification. “We have thoroughly vetted the training program with our Safety Department. The scope of the training was met with approval by the safety management team and completion of the program is absolutely vital to the safety of our employees and their success at the Authority as it pertains to upward mobility,” he added.