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Your plan

Your lineworker path

Tell us where you are and where you want to go. Your plan skips what you've already done and shows the next milestones for your level.

1 Where are you now?
2 What do you want next?
3 What do you already have? Check all that apply
4 Where do you work?
5 What can you spend?
Showing the starting plan

Starting from zero · Get hired

Answer question 1 to tailor this plan to your level.

Next milestoneCheck the basics ↓

Three ways in

Get hired as a groundworker first

Weeks to startPaid from day one

Best if You need income now and want to learn the work from the ground up.

Utilities and line contractors hire entry level ground crew who load material, dig holes, set poles and pass tools to lineworkers. Alexander City, Alabama, for example, describes its groundman job as the entry point in the line of progression for lineman, with a high school diploma or GED and a CDL within six months.

Ground work alone does not make you a lineworker. Ask whether the employer moves ground crew into an apprenticeship, and keep proof of your hours: some apprenticeship committees only credit documented line construction work that includes climbing.

Lineworker school

About 11 to 15 weeksTuition; usually full time

Best if You want climbing, rigging and safety training plus a CDL before you apply.

Pre apprentice programs teach pole climbing, line construction and safety, and many bundle a Class A CDL. Southside Virginia Community College lists $14,100 for 11 weeks; Northwest Lineman College's Idaho listing shows $27,048 total for 15 weeks. BLS also notes some community colleges offer 1 year certificates and 2 year degrees.

A school certificate is not a journeyman card. Compare total cost, what credentials are included and where graduates get hired before you pay.

Registered line apprenticeship

About 3 to 4 yearsPaid on the job

Best if You want the standard route to journeyman lineworker with raises as you advance.

You work on a line crew under journeyworkers and complete classroom or home study. IBEW and NECA programs ask for age 18, a high school education, one year of high school algebra, a qualifying aptitude test score and a drug free result. The California Nevada JATC program includes 7,000 hours of on the job training.

Some programs take applications only during short windows, and some require a Class A CDL and an in person first aid card before you apply. Expect to travel.

Your steps

9 steps for you

  1. Check the basics

    Day 1Free

    Make sure you can apply. BLS says most lineworkers start with a high school diploma or equivalent, and employers may prefer basic algebra and trigonometry. The work is outdoors in all weather, often at great heights near high voltage.

    • Have your high school diploma or GED ready, or enroll in a GED program if you don't have one.
    • Line apprenticeships commonly ask for one year of high school algebra and an aptitude test. Brush up on algebra now.
    • Be honest with yourself about heights, heavy lifting and long storm shifts. BLS lists working at heights, color vision, stamina and strength as important qualities.
    • Read five lineworker, groundman and apprentice postings near you and note what they ask for: CDL class, first aid card, drug screen, travel.

  2. Choose your way in

    Decide this weekDepends on route

    There are three ways in: start on a ground crew, go to lineworker school, or apply straight to an apprenticeship. Many people combine them, for example working as a groundworker while waiting for an apprenticeship window to open.

    • Compare the three routes above.
    • Search registered line apprenticeship openings near you on Apprenticeship.gov.
    • Find your local outside line apprenticeship committee through the electrical training ALLIANCE and note when it takes applications.
    Apprenticeship.gov job finder ↗electrical training ALLIANCE: apprenticeship requirements ↗

  3. Get your commercial driver's license

    Several weeksState fees plus training; amounts vary by state

    Line crews drive heavy trucks, so most employers want a Class A CDL. Some apprenticeship committees require it before you apply; the Northwest Line JATC asks for an unrestricted Class A that allows manual transmissions. Some utilities, such as Snohomish County PUD, train apprentices to earn it on the job.

    • Get a commercial learner's permit first, with a DOT medical card.
    • Complete the required entry level driver training, hold the permit at least 14 days, then take the skills test.
    • Test in a manual transmission vehicle if you can, so your license carries no automatic only restriction.
    • If you work storms in other states, BLS notes you need a CDL valid for interstate driving.

  4. Get an in person first aid and CPR card

    One classNot published; set by each class location

    OSHA requires trained first aid people on line crews working near energized lines, so employers look for this card. The Northwest Line JATC will not accept online only first aid or CPR cards, and it also asks for a flagger or traffic control card.

    • Take a blended Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED class with the in person skills session.
    • Ask your state's transportation agency or a local college where to get an in person flagger card; programs that require one will not accept online versions.
    • Cards expire. The Red Cross certificate is valid for two years, so renew it before it lapses.

  5. Get your OSHA 10 card

    10 hoursSet by each OSHA authorized trainer

    A common entry safety card that many lineworker programs include. OSHA says the card is voluntary, and some employers require it.

    • Take OSHA 10 Construction from an OSHA authorized trainer or online provider.
    • Skip it if your lineworker school already includes it.

  6. Consider a lineworker school

    11 to 15 weeks, full timeAbout $14,100 to $27,048 at the two programs we checked

    Optional, but it teaches climbing, rigging and line safety before your first job, and many programs bundle a Class A CDL. BLS notes community college programs cover topics such as line construction and pole top and bucket rescue.

    • Southside Virginia Community College: 11 weeks, $14,100, includes CDL, OSHA 10, CPR and first aid, NCCER Power Line Worker Level 1 and a traffic controller card. Virginia's FastForward grant may help qualifying Virginians.
    • Northwest Lineman College: 15 weeks, 480 clock hours; the Idaho listing shows $18,835 tuition and $27,048 total, including a $3,500 Class A CDL course.
    • Ask your local American Job Center whether WIOA can pay tuition if the school is on your state's approved training list.
    WIOA training funds explained (Apprenticeship.gov) ↗

  7. Get hired as a groundworker

    2 to 6 weeksFree

    Ground crew jobs are an entry point. A groundworker loads and unloads material, digs holes, helps set poles and passes tools to lineworkers, and learns the trade on the job.

    • Apply to utilities, municipal electric departments and line contractors for groundman, ground worker and pre apprentice openings.
    • Lead with your CDL or permit, first aid card and any school certificates on a one page résumé. Mirror it on LinkedIn.
    • In the interview, ask whether ground crew move into an apprenticeship and how long that usually takes.
    • From day one, keep pay stubs or letters showing your hours. The Northwest Line JATC lets experienced applicants with 3,500 documented hours of line construction work, including climbing, may qualify for a direct interview.

  8. Apply to a line apprenticeship

    Watch for the windowNo application fee listed in the notices we checked

    Apprenticeship committees rank applicants, and some take applications only during short windows. The California Nevada JATC took applications for 10 days, June 22 to July 3, 2026.

    • Check the minimums: age 18, high school diploma or GED, one year of high school algebra, a qualifying aptitude test score and a drug free result.
    • Have your Class A CDL, first aid and CPR card and transcripts ready before the window opens; some committees require them at application.
    • Apply to more than one committee and utility. Be ready to travel across the committee's region.
    • Use the Add to LinkedIn button on each credential you earn while you wait.
    Apprenticeship.gov job finder ↗

  9. What comes after you're hired

    Years 1 to 4Ask your employer

    BLS says lineworkers learn through long term on the job training and reach journey level after 3 or 4 years. Use that time to move from the ground to the pole.

    • Once you're working, come back and choose "Groundworker or apprentice" above. Your plan will update with the next milestones.
    • Log every hour and keep your CDL and first aid card current.
    • Every time you earn something, add it to LinkedIn and post about it.
Job outlook
Median pay
$95,320 a year
About $45.83 an hour, May 2025
Job growth
10% by 2035
Much faster than average
Openings
About 10,900 a year
Projected nationally
Typical entry
High school diploma
Then long term on the job training

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: line installers and repairers ↗

Plan sources · checked Oct 15, 2026BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: line installers and repairers; how to become one, pay and outlook ↗electrical training ALLIANCE: IBEW and NECA apprenticeship requirements ↗IBEW Local 1245: California Nevada JATC power lineman apprenticeship notice, 2026 (requirements, 7,000 hours) ↗IBEW Local 1245: applications open June 22, 2026 for the California Nevada JATC outside line program ↗Washington L&I: Northwest Line Construction Industry JATC apprenticeship standards ↗City of Alexander City, Alabama: groundman job description ↗Snohomish County PUD: line apprentice job posting (7,000 hours, CDL earned in training) ↗OSHA 29 CFR 1910.269: electric power generation, transmission and distribution ↗NCCER: Power Line Worker curriculum ↗Southside Virginia Community College: Power Line Worker program ↗Idaho eligible training provider list: Northwest Lineman College costs ↗FMCSA: how to get a commercial driver's license ↗Apprenticeship.gov job finder ↗

Pay and growth are national BLS figures. Apprenticeship rules differ by committee and utility; the examples here come from the California Nevada JATC, the Northwest Line JATC, Snohomish County PUD and Alexander City, Alabama. CDL fees are set by each state and were not verified. State specific steps are not researched yet. Advice about job postings, interviews and logging hours is practical guidance, not a regulation. Your answers stay in your browser.

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