7 year apprenticeship!

[apprenticelineman]

Im a third step ape with cal/nev jatc and was recently told its gonna be a good 6-7 years to top out because of the work outlook seeing that theres lots of transmission and little to none distribution. Ive been on the same job for all three steps and have no distribution experienance just thought id post this as a heads up to those applying.

[Pootnaigle]

Well at least you are gettin paid while you learn. And the local puts a whole lot more effort into finding you work as an apprentice than they will as a Journeyman,We have had several apes leave and work hundreds of miles away to get in their hot time.Its happening in a whole lot of places.

[HookinAintEasy]

At least your doin linework and not laid off lookin for work bud!

[Bighorn Ape]

thanks for sharing. Im applying for cal-nev jatc soon. do you do a lot of lattice tower work? any wood? have you been on any live line transmission jobs? do you love it?

im interested in the lattice tower work and live line stuff....cant wait.

[iwlv433]

dang, thats a long apprenticeship, haha but at least you are working and you are in that the hardest thing i am ranked 35 right now why are they hireing if there is no work and i heard that the work outlook was going to be pretty good for the next couple of years, it is so hard to get a straight answere some people say what you are saying and some people say that cal nev is going to hire 200 guys this year. what the deal with them i dont get it plus they opened up there books again for more people to apply?????????

[apprenticelineman]

dang, thats a long apprenticeship, haha but at least you are working and you are in that the hardest thing i am ranked 35 right now why are they hireing if there is no work and i heard that the work outlook was going to be pretty good for the next couple of years, it is so hard to get a straight answere some people say what you are saying and some people say that cal nev is going to hire 200 guys this year. what the deal with them i dont get it plus they opened up there books again for more people to apply?????????

I've asked why they would add more classes and indenture more apprentices when there's 25-30 already out of work and there telling us that its gonna be 6-7 years to top out because of the lack of hot work and how many apprentices they have that need it and have been told the contractors would rather have apprentices stacking steel and building towers(which is all a lot of us are doing) than pay jl's twice what we make to do the same work. Its not bad work its actually pretty easy and you make great money but i dont wanna be a 5th, 6th step apprentice that only knows how to bolt steel together and get put on a distribution crew and not have a clue how to do anything and the guys on the crew that i hopefully end up on one day arent gonna give a sh!t that ive only done transmission thats the only thing that really bothers me about this whole deal. Theres work its just transmission out here, you have the sunrise job in san diego thats gonna go till the end of this year, then theres the deavers job out in the desert and its transmission then theres the trtp job up in tahatchape and that just got shut down for some stupid bird nests for 6 months and that job has alot left so there work its just all lattice towers. I dont know about the 200 people or what the Cal/nev jatc is doing theres a new director coming in and alot of the teachers and trainers are quiting because they dont wanna work for the new director. Thats a good message to new guys in the trade if you dont like something or someone you work with you just quit.

[apprenticelineman]

At least your doin linework and not laid off lookin for work bud!

Theres steel to stab out in california if you need a job bud.

[apprenticelineman]

thanks for sharing. Im applying for cal-nev jatc soon. do you do a lot of lattice tower work? any wood? have you been on any live line transmission jobs? do you love it?

im interested in the lattice tower work and live line stuff....cant wait.

Its all latice tower work, and yeah I enjoy some parts of it and hate other parts, all depends on your crew. Ive set a bunch of gaurd poles but its all latice towers bulid em on the ground then set em with the crane or a helicopter lands em a section at a time and you climb up and bolt em down.

[iwlv433]

so i gues an ironworker would fit right in huh

[apprenticelineman]

so i gues an ironworker would fit right in huh

Yeah my buddy is an iron worker and doesnt under stand why they have lineman building steel I told him its all part of it.