Search
Insights > Learn How to Become an Entergy Lineworker/Hero in Apprenticeship Program
Learn How to Become an Entergy Lineworker/Hero in Apprenticeship Program
09/02/2021
Entergy Arkansas lineworkers are unsung heroes who help keep the electricity flowing to homes and businesses during the best and worst weather conditions.
Everyday functions for lineworkers – which includes men and women – include installing and maintaining electrical components such as poles, transformers and power lines.
Entergy Arkansas hires lineworker apprentices right out of high school and beyond and pays them while they train and complete the four-year apprenticeship. Salaries for first-year apprentices average $50,000 a year, with the potential for six-figure earnings as they progress in their careers.
A new lineworker annual salary is $40,000 until bootcamp – a 12-week introduction to the fundamentals of line work and safety as a core value – is completed. Sometimes that happens in the first couple months and sometimes it continues into the next year, depending on when the new employee begins work and finishes bootcamp.
The apprenticeship includes the paid-work component and the instructional component, where new employees acquire workplace-relevant knowledge and skills deemed necessary by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers to become a certified lineworker over the course of four years.
A normal day for a lineworker is filled with performing regular maintenance, upgrades and repairs to the electrical grid and distribution lines statewide. But on top of the routine work, the climate in Arkansas can produce thunderstorms, tornados and ice storms that can damage the system and require lineworkers and their support crews to be called out in the night, on the weekends and even holidays to ensure Entergy Arkansas customers continue to receive safe and reliable energy.
In fact, Entergy Arkansas is regularly recognized for its storm readiness and post-storm restoration efforts in the face of destruction and hazardous conditions. It’s during those times that customers most desperately need qualified lineworkers re-energizing the grid and making sure their home and property are safe, comfortable and providing power for their needs.
The IBEW is recognized across the nation for setting the standard for electrical worker professionals through its Code of Excellence. Entergy Arkansas employees are represented by IBEW unions in Little Rock, Pine Bluff, El Dorado, and St. Louis, Mo., all of which are affiliated with Arkansas AFL-CIO and the Arkansas State Electrical Workers Association.
Distribution or apprentice lineworkers assigned to a local network – such as Malvern, Russellville, or Forrest City – are required to live within 20 miles of their reporting location, but most are assigned near their hometown. Lineworkers work long days outside and must be generally in good health, because one key skill required is setting and climbing power poles. Every day functions include installing fixtures such as breaker boxes, switches and motor controls to generate, transmit and distribute energy safely.
Sometimes our crews assist in restoration efforts as part of reciprocal agreements we have with our sister operating companies in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, as well as utility companies in other states when needed.
To apply for the program, search “apprentice” at www.jobs.entergy.com for position openings.
ABOUT ENTERGY ARKANSAS
Entergy Arkansas provides electricity to approximately 722,000 customers in 63 counties. Entergy Arkansas is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR), an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy delivers electricity to three million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of $10 billion and approximately 12,500 employees.
-30-
