NEPPA would like to announce the promotion of Steve Socoby from Senior Trainer to Director of Training. This promotion has been well overdue and long deserved. Many of you know Steve from our Apprentice program or the Apprentice Rodeo, because he has been operating them for the past five years. During his tenure, we switched over to the Northwest Lineman College as our curriculum provider. Even more important was the level of instruction that Steve added and the critical eye he has for skills.

Because of his dedication to the program we set out to address skills quality this past year and as a result we have added the NEPPA certification to the Apprentice program. NEPPA will issue certificates each year to certify the performance of required physical standards that are to be achieved at each level of the program. Steve worked with general foremen to create these performance standards and this allows NEPPA to give a more complete report to utilities on their attendees' performance.

Anyone who has taken one of Steve’s classes knows that he is tough on himself and his students. He may have taught a class a hundred times, but the day before he is reviewing and if needed, updating the content.

This past year when we were working on our move to Littleton, Steve was instrumental and oversaw the addition to some new elements of our training facility. We added a substation, confined space and meter lab for programs that were previously limited to site visits or theoretical discussions. Now in addition to the classroom teaching, NEPPA has hands-on experiences for students, thus improving our Metering, Substation and Confined Space certificate programs. 

Steve is a Maine guy, born and bred. After more than 35 years of experience as a journeyman lineworker and line superintendent with Houlton, Maine, we lured him down to NEPPA with the promise of an opportunity to share his knowledge and a trail of lobsters. Okay, so the lobsters weren’t real, but he was down here and the drive back was long, so he stayed.

Steve’s attention to quality and integrity will ensure the high standards that NEPPA has established.

Congratulations Steve!