Underground Construction - February 2019 - 24

Michael Reed | Contributing Editor

In its effort to head off a growing
shortage of skilled workers in
the natural gas distribution and
other energy sectors, Quanta
Services, which employees about
41,000 people, has taken the unusual step of acquiring Northwest
Lineman College (NLC).
The company recently announced the acquisition of the accredited college, which specializes
in training for the electric power
industry, with the intention of
helping to develop natural gas
distribution and communications
curriculum, as well.
"Our end markets are experiencing historic levels of capital
and operating investments,
which we believe will continue for
the foreseeable future," Quanta
President and CEO Duke Austin
said. "As a result, demand for
skilled labor is high and industry
resources are becoming increasingly strained."
Based in Boise, Idaho, NLC
was founded in 1993 and has
additional campuses in Oroville,
Calif., Edgewood, Fla. and Denton, Texas.
"We believe NLC's educational models can be applied to all
of Quanta's service lines, which
would facilitate the development of additional curricula over
time," Austin said, adding NLC's
existing management team has
remained in place since the acquisition.

First class
The five-week gas distribution
training is currently a business-to-business program meaning the first graduating class was
made up of employees of Quanta
and its subsidiary companies. The
program graduated its first class
on Oct. 10.
Bill Bosch, president of the
NLC Florida campus, said that

FEBRUARY 2019 | UConOnline.com

in the third-quarter of 2019 the
gas distribution classes will be
offered to the public, consisting
of the same classroom, lab time
and field work curriculum as the
program offered to the first graduating class.
"It's about 50 percent classroom work," Bosch said. ""Everything they learn in the classroom,
they do as applications in the lab.
Then students take those applications into real-life situations in
our training yard."
Upon successful completion of
the program, graduates receive
a certificate and become "highly
desirable" gas distribution employees, according to Bosch, who
said companies have reported the
program should save them 10
months on field training time.
"These graduates are productive and safe on day one in the
field," said Matt Compher, vice
president of Safety, Health, Environmental and Quality.
That equates to better efficiency, financial savings and an overall safer workplace. It also allows
certificate of completion holders
to perform considerably more
functions in the field than other
new employees.
"They are qualified to do different fusion exercises, safe trenching procedures and are familiar
with internal gas appliances and
operations of the crews," Bosch
said. "They become a highly efficient part of the crew on Day 1
after they graduate."
He said NLC will begin offering
the program at the Texas campus
in April, and that the college has
a strategic plan underway to introduce the curriculum at the California and Idaho campuses.

Up-to-date
In order to stay in tune with
changes in the gas industry,

Photos by Quanta Services

Quanta Acquires Training College to Address
Worker Shortages, Training

Top: Quanta trainees take a break during a course.Bottom: The first gas distribution
training class completes their coursework.

NLC enlisted a program advisory
committee, similar to the one
used with its electrical program,
which devised the initial course
of study. These "subject matter
experts," according to Bosch,
allowed the college to start with
"the latest procedures and safe
work practices" and adapt needed
changes as the industry evolves.
"Like any other industry this
one will change, so our subject
matter experts will guide us to
where we need to take the program," he said. "We will stay in
tune with the industry and make
sure our curriculum stays right
on the cutting edge."
As baby boomer retirements
increase not just in the gas industry but across most other trades
as well, Quanta and NLC have
recognized the need to boost the
ranks of qualified job applicants.
NLC will begin some publicity
efforts soon to get word out that
there are opportunities in the gas

trade, and companies like Quanta
and local distribution companies
have their own marketing efforts,
letting their geographical regions
know about the opportunities.
"Really the trade itself gets the
word out about opportunities,"
Bosch said. "Obviously, we (NLC)
will not be able to get enough
people into the gas program to
satisfy what the nation needs."
The latest graduates, who will
be working for Quanta companies, also will go through a twoweek training on the local campus in telecommunications - a
rapidly growing field - in order to
be better prepared for their work
with Quanta.
NLC is now training Quanta
employees to enhance their skills.
The company is considering
sending college trainers to be part
of a rapid response team to determine the cause of accidents and
to offer trainings at different locations around the United States.

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Underground Construction - February 2019

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