Journeyman Lineman

A job where no two days in the office look the same, being a journeyman lineman offers the opportunity to work everywhere from metropolitan centers to our remotest regions. Provide an essential service to your community, solve critical infrastructure problems, and enjoy the benefits of working in a resilient field with consistent demand growth.
With more than 20 locations across the country and decades of experience in energy infrastructure, Mears provides the support you need to build your career as a journeyman lineman wherever you want to build your life. Your journey starts here – read on to learn how you can take the first step towards your new role with Mears.

Understanding the Role of a Journeyman Lineman

Key Responsibilities of a Journeyman Lineman

As a journeyman lineman, you’ll have the responsibility of maintaining our nation’s power grid. You’ll play an essential role in powering communities across America, doing what’s necessary to keep the lights on and our economy humming. 

In this role, you’ll build, repair, and maintain the equipment that makes up our electrical power system. From helping to erect high voltage electrical transmission lines to planning and digging underground residential distribution networks, a career with Mears as a lineman is never dull and always presents opportunities to further learn and specialize. 

The work is hard but rewarding – in more ways than one. Not only will you provide a crucial service to your local community, you’ll be given the opportunity to develop into a highly-paid specialist. Invest in your future and consider how a career as a lineman could help you achieve your goals. 

Skills Required for a Successful Journeyman Lineman

A challenging and diverse career, being a journeyman lineman requires problem-solving, lateral thinking, and deep technical knowledge. You’ll be asked to work autonomously, often in small teams and in remote areas, at heights, and in confined spaces, always maintaining the highest professional standards and striving to create a safe environment for you and your colleagues.

Apart from mental ability, you’ll need to be physically fit. Being a lineman is demanding work, often requiring individuals to work long hours in the sun, lift and carry up to 50 pounds, and climb poles up to 60 feet high. It can also be dangerous, with work frequently done on live lines to prevent costly delays and blackouts for utility companies, and linemen often required to work in inclement weather to restore downed services. 

As such, Mears prioritizes safety in all things. We know that people are fallible, but we understand that true safety is ensuring that when mistakes happen, precautions are in place to prevent people coming to harm and capacity being affected. It’s what we call the Capacity Model – building sufficient capacity into our processes so that mistakes are both less likely to happen, and less likely to result in harm coming to our employees. As one of our linemen, you’ll live and breathe it, and see it in action at every job site on every work day. 

The Path to Becoming a Journeyman Lineman

A journeyman lineman is a skilled tradesperson. As such, most begin their careers as apprentices working under an established lineman for three to four years, developing the knowledge and skills needed to succeed. This apprenticeship can be supplemented with specialty training or a technical degree. 

At Mears, we invest in our people, providing the education they need to reach their full potential as professionals. Through our relationship with Northwest Lineman College (NLC), we offer aspiring linemen a reliable path to a rewarding career. 

Across a four-year apprenticeship program, trainees will earn a Department of Labor Journeyman Lineman certificate – a widely recognized qualification that identifies you as an expert in the profession for the duration of your career. This program includes both in-class instruction and technical training for both overhead and underground lineman, covering all areas including distribution, transmission and substation work. 

Additionally, as part of the Quanta family of companies, Mears has access to the Quanta Advanced Training Center at the Lazy Q Ranch in La Grange, Texas. At Lazy Q, linemen of every skill level can access industry-leading training, from pre-apprenticeship courses that teach the fundamentals of the job to advanced programs including aviation training, underground utility maintenance, and robotics-assisted live line work. 

Journeyman Lineman Certification: Why It Matters

Journeyman lineman isn’t just a job title, it’s a recognition of your professional growth. Only tradespeople who have proven their skills meet an industry recognized standard via an examination and licensing process may work as a journeyman lineman. This process takes place at the end of your apprenticeship, and may differ slightly from state to state in costs and requirements. 

Practically, this license is a legal requirement to operate as a journeyman lineman, ensuring that anyone performing maintenance on energy distribution systems has received the appropriate training needed to look after critical infrastructure. Additionally, it works to protect yourself and other workers, guaranteeing a minimum level of safety training for every journeyman lineman on a job site. 

Unveiling the World of Journeyman Lineman Jobs

Job Market and Opportunities for Journeyman Linemen

There is significant demand for new linemen. With many linemen from the baby boomer generation retiring, new openings are being created faster than most electrical companies can fill them. 

Coupled with a drive by the electric utility industry to improve infrastructure reliability and harden systems against interruptions caused by adverse weather events, there’s plenty of work to go around. 

With locations across the United States, Mears can likely offer lineman opportunities near you. Explore our open positions below and start imagining what working with a nationally-recognised, people-focused employer could achieve for you.

FAQs:

Q: What is a journeyman lineman?

A: A journeyman lineman is a tradesperson licensed to install, repair, and maintain overhead and underground electrical transmission and distribution facilities. 

A varied and highly rewarding role, journeyman linemen spend most of their working hours in the field troubleshooting system problems and developing and implementing solutions. Expect to be required to regularly work at heights or in confined spaces, and to make use of aerial and excavation equipment in the course of your duties. 

Q: How do I become a journeyman lineman?

A: To become a journeyman lineman, you will typically need a high-school diploma or equivalent qualification, as well as relevant technical training. This training can be delivered on the job in the form of an apprenticeship or through a dedicated technical degree or certification. 

All journeyman linemen must be licensed by the relevant state regulator. To qualify for this license, applicants will usually be required to either complete a fixed number of hours of training in a Department of Labor-approved apprenticeship program, or hold several years of experience as a journeyman lineman at an electrical contractor or electricity provider. Licensing is contingent on passing an examination. 

Q: Why is journeyman lineman certification important?

A: A journeyman lineman certification can help you enhance your job prospects and earning potential. Widely recognized across the industry, these certifications can help you easily communicate your skills and knowledge to prospective employers. While the skills taught in these courses can be learnt in an informal environment, a certificate demonstrates to employers that you’ve met an established industry standard.