Surrounded by friends and families, 22 young men, most from underrepresented communities, posed for pictures and signed their papers on signing day.
No, they weren’t signing football scholarships, but the papers they signed are equally important.
These inspiring young men have chosen to pursue a career in the electrical and communications linework industries and will receive the skilled training necessary free of charge thanks to the New Heights Lineworker Partnership program and Chattanooga 2.0. When they graduate, they’ll have the ability to enter a career with a thriving living wage, ensuring a better quality of life for their futures.
The highly attended and catered event included local leaders including Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp, Keri Randolph of Chattanooga 2.0, Dr. Sonia Stewart of Hamilton County Schools, David Powell of the Southeast Lineman Training Center (SLTC), Ketha Richardson of EPB and the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE), Grant Rains from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), and representatives from TVA and the Benwood Foundation.
The men will be attending the Southeast Linemen Training Center in Trenton, Ga., which is the premier training school for apprentice lineworker training.
“Our mission is to always produce the best quality lineworkers we can,” SLTC CEO and Co-Founder David Powell said. “It’s not just about equipping your son or daughter with the skills. It is so much more than that.”
He said the team at SLTC will be there for this new group of students providing much needed encouragement, mentoring and building the future leaders of the community.
Chattanooga 2.0 Executive Director Dr. Keri Randolph said signing day was possible thanks to the collaborative efforts of all the organizations involved who provided funding and grants allowing the men to receive skilled training at no cost to them.
“This is a free ride to the Southeast Linemen Training Center (SLTC), including housing and including a living stipend while they are training,” she said. “That’s a huge deal. That is a huge investment. And we know you are worth it.”
In addition to the training the students will also be provided with the gear necessary to complete the training and stay equipped for employment.
Andrew Hudson with Chattanooga 2.0 explained how the program provides a thriving wage job with local employers at the table to include EPB, TVA and the IBEW. He said the program focuses on industry informed training and the pathway removes all the barriers making it easier for those wanting to apply.
Hamilton County School System Deputy Superintendent Dr. Sonia Stewart said the partnership was the culmination of many big ideas that came together.
“One of the values and key beliefs in the school system is that we can’t do it alone,” she said. “We need these partnerships to really remove the barriers and obstacles that our kids and our families are experiencing to get to these thriving futures. Today is a beautiful and amazing example of that.”
In attendance were five men who received the training roughly three years ago. These graduates, all currently working in the industry, were praised for paving the way for this new class and others in the future.
Melique Hambrick was one of those graduates now in his second year of employment at EPB.
“It gave me a job and it opened up my eyes to the real world,” he said. “It showed me how to be disciplined.”
New signee, Leonel Lopez said he is excited about the opportunity.
“When I heard about it, I knew I wanted to give it a shot,” he said.
His mother Francisca said she was extremely proud of her son.
“Hamilton County is at its best when the public and private sector team up for the benefit of our students—and there’s nothing more important than equipping our young people with a set of skills that can lead to a living wage job and small business ownership,” Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp said. “As a community, this is the greatest investment we can make, and I’m grateful to Chattanooga 2.0 for taking charge and showing leadership to make this happen.”