Contact: NOVEC Communications, 1-703-335-0500, communications@novec.com
PALMYRA, Va. – For nearly 80 young women, the fourth annual Girl Power event was a hands-on introduction to the world of electric co-ops and the job opportunities they offer. Seventeen-year-old Manassas homeschooler Theresa Peña raised her hand at every one of the educational stations. Whether learning about working in a bucket truck or how to fly a drone, Theresa wanted to know more: Does the bucket in the truck have remote control? What’s a transformer? How does fiber-optics work to provide internet service? How far away from the base can a drone fly?
All these questions – and more – were answered during nine half-hour sessions at the Virginia, Maryland, Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives (VMDAEC) Training Center in Palmyra, Virginia Oct. 30. Participants found the lessons especially accessible because most of the stations were led by women. VMDAEC’s Jim Robertson said he was gratified that “so many women volunteered to teach this year.”
Theresa’s mom – who read about Girl Power in NOVEC’s Cooperative Living magazine -- suggested that her daughter attend this year. Theresa was interested because her dad does residential electric work and their home is powered by Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (NOVEC). In one session, human resources professionals helped students translate their interests and personalities into potential co-op jobs. Theresa is interested in the visual arts and education, so communications or worker-training positions could be viable co-op jobs for her. The young women were also introduced to other options:
- Engineering or technical roles, including lineworkers
- Positions in leadership and management
- STEM outreach and education jobs, including energy efficiency or environmental experts
- Administrative and support jobs
- Innovation and technology positions, specializing in information technology or cybersecurity
Attendees asked about the work culture at co-ops, what education or training they would need, and how much lineworkers make. Cindy Haddock, owner of a North Carolina power line construction company, gave a Girl Power pep talk at lunchtime. She said that while some co-op jobs are overwhelmingly filled by men, women are making inroads. “You’ve got to grab the world by the hand and hold on tight. It’s not always an easy ride. Fear is not the end; it’s the beginning of the ride of your life,” Haddock said.
One of the most popular classes of the day simulated working from a bucket truck; the girls used virtual reality goggles to approximate a bird’s eye view. A session on welding included a flash of light and a controlled desktop explosion, as the instructor demonstrated what lineworkers accomplish in the field every day.
In another session, camera-equipped drones buzzed like a horde of angry cicadas as the girls flew them out to the tree line and back. The time- and energy-saving technology can transmit high-resolution images quickly and easily, without the use of a bucket truck. “You can read the serial number at the top of an electric pole and see any small cracks in the wood,” the instructor said.
Girls got the chance to use lineworkers’ tools while they worked at “smurf-poles.” (They are only about 6 feet tall, so trainees can learn how to repair and replace cables or crossbars while firmly on the ground). Theresa is comfortable with drills and hammers, thanks to a church mission trip last summer where she made house repairs for people in need. At one of the smurf poles, she put on bulky lineworkers’ gloves to try and thread a nut onto a bolt, and everyone laughed as she dropped it for the eighth time.
Standing in a forest of electrical poles set up for pole-climbing practice, instructor Chris Henry of Northern Neck Electric Cooperative said, “One girl said she was afraid of heights. I turned to look back to see how she was doing, and she was 15 to 20 feet in the air. A lot of the girls finish their turn and come back for a second try.”
“It’s harder than it looks,” admitted Theresa. Smiling all the way, she climbed up her pole about 10 feet before deciding she’d had enough fun for one day.
