Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative lineworkers Mike Taylor and Adam Drummelsmith have graduated from the Central Ohio Lineworker Training program over the past few months. The two have now moved from apprentices to official linemen status, with more than 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, Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative’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, Ohio, with classes that are taught by two full-time and three part-time instructors. 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 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 ohioec.org/central-ohio-lineworker-training-program.