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Whitehaven High School students learn about line work and the utility trade at MLGW-STCC boot camp

By Marketing and Communications Staff

A Whitehaven High School student climbs a utility pole at the MLGW Utility Line Worker Boot Camp at the College’s Macon Cove Campus.
A Whitehaven High School student climbs a utility
pole at the MLGW Utility Line Worker Boot Camp at
the College’s Macon Cove Campus.

Whitehaven High School students took to the poles this past summer to learn what it’s like to be a Memphis Light, Gas & Water (MLGW) line worker. 

In partnership with MLGW, Southwest Tennessee Community College hosted a three-week boot camp for the students (ages 16-18) from June 5 – 23 at the College’s state-of-the-art Fulton technologies building and utility pole farm. 

MLGW founded the pilot program to generate interest in utility occupations from high school students as an early pipeline to careers at the company. MLGW paid each participating student $12 per hour during the camp.

Southwest faculty and MLGW staff facilitated courses on the business and culture of working at MLGW, the principles of electricity, gas and water, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) training. Students also practiced climbing utility poles at the College’s Macon Cove Campus. The “pole farm” is the only training site in the city where MLGW line workers train on utility poles.

“This was an amazing experience, and we learned a lot about ourselves during this boot camp,” said Whitehaven student Angel Tillman. “Working together as a team and having the team building exercises during the boot camp created a great environment for me and my classmates to learn about MLGW, line work and what it means to work together to be successful.”

Students from the utility boot camp pose with MLGW and Southwest staff.
Students from the utility boot camp pose with MLGW and Southwest staff.
 
At the end of the boot camp, MLGW and Southwest staff celebrated the students at an inaugural Utility Worker Summer Youth Bootcamp Ceremony and Graduation on June 23 at MLGW University, located at the Raleigh LaGrange Center. 

During the graduation ceremony, MLGW’s President Doug McGowen, Board of Commissioner Chair Leon Dickerson, Sr. and Vice President & Chief People Officer Jacqueline Jones presented the graduates with their certificates of completion. 

“You have the power to create your future. Don’t ever let anyone take that away from you,” said Dickerson. “You all are already on the right track by completing this boot camp with MLGW.”