Midwest Electric lineworkers Eric Schaaf (of St. Marys) and Travis Russell (of Botkins) graduated from the Central Ohio Lineworker Training (COLT) program in October. Both men moved from apprentice to First Class Linemen status, with over 8,000 on-the-job hours over the course of four years of courses. We are so proud of their hard work!

Offered by Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives, Midwest Electric’s statewide trade association, and supported by the electric cooperatives of Ohio, COLT trains power lineworkers at the beginning of their careers as well as seasoned lineworkers seeking to refresh and advance their knowledge. Courses are taught in the classroom and in the field, with the best real-world technology in a safe, controlled environment.

COLT Field and the one-of-a-kind indoor training facility, which opened in July 2017, are in Mount Gilead. Classes are taught by two full-time and three part-time instructors, with never more than 15 students per instructor in the classroom and five per instructor in the field. Instructors are able to re-create real-life situations to answer questions with hands-on demonstrations rather than simply explaining theory.

COLT’s indoor facility has 19 poles installed in the concrete floor for climbing exercises, as well as three-phase and single-phase distribution lines built onto the poles for both energized and de-energized training. COLT has a reputation for the highest standards in safety and excellence, qualifying hundreds of pole climbers since 2004.

To learn more about the COLT program and facility, visit www.ohioec.org/central-ohio-lineworker-training-program.