NEPPA Trainers "Pay it Forward" in New York

In October, at two different locations in New York state, 14 young men employed by municipal electric utilities completed four years of study and field work as apprentice lineworkers and received their official certificates of completion. These young men thus joined earlier graduates of NEPPA’s Apprentice Lineworker Program in New York, which is provided by NEPPA to municipal utilities in that state through a contract with the New York Municipal Electric Utilities Association.

I attended both graduation dinners in New York last month, and got to see for myself the quality of these young men and the obvious respect that they held for their program instructors, their chosen careers, and their fellow lineworkers. To a person, they demonstrated pride in having successfully completed four years of demanding book learning and field training (especially climbing and performing difficult physical labor on tall utility poles), and gratitude for having learned their trade under the guidance of two experienced utility hands. They expressed their gratitude in both heartfelt words and thoughtful gifts to their instructors as their graduation dinners concluded.

The two instructors who led these programs are Bill Hesson and Lou Gabriele, long-time NEPPA trainers who are only too happy to share their knowledge and skills with the next generation of pubic power lineworkers in New York state. Beyond getting through all the "book learning" and climbing drills with their students however, Bill and Lou also make sure that each and every student in their classes has a keen appreciation for their good fortune to be holding such positions, and for the dangerous nature of their work. Above all else, safe working habits and procedures underlie every one of their classroom lectures and field demonstrations.

These young men are extremely fortunate to have such experienced and dedicated teachers as they begin their careers in public power. Bill and Lou have each spent over thirty years in electric utility linework in New England, and they bring a passion for the work as well as real know-how to their classes. For each of them however, safety is paramount, which means taking the time necessary to understand the work to be done, planning for contingencies, and never taking short cuts. In electric utility linework, unlike most other professions, the consequences of sloppy work or poor preparation can be serious injury or death, as they both know all too well.

Bill Hesson and Lou Gabriele perform an essential service in the electric utility industry. They both serve as a "bridge" between generations, transferring hard-won knowledge and skills to young lineworkers, and making sure that each of their young students has mastered the fundamentals of this challenging and rewarding profession. In teaching young men how to master the lineworker’s trade, they are "paying it forward," and their lessons will live on for many years to come.

Larry Imhoff, Village of Little Valley, receives his certificate from NEPPA Trainer Bill Hesson.