Apprenticeship Programs In Idaho
Some of the most important issues Idaho employers face today are enrolling, training and retaining talent. Through registered apprenticeships programs, their employers can take full charge of building their own pipeline of highly trained, highly motivated workers. Idaho apprenticeship programs assist with alleyways into high wages and hands-on careers in the skilled trades.
With the number of Idaho businesses sponsoring apprenticeships doubling from 2016 to 2018, Idaho apprenticeship and apprentices are now on the rise, and on to bigger things. The number of registered apprentices in non-orthodox industries like energy, health care, transportation, information technology, advanced manufacturing & the building trades has increased by 67%
In October 2018 Idaho’s unemployment rate was a low record of 2.7 percent. Their population has one of the most rapid growth in the nation,& grew to 1.7 million in the year 2017.
Employment prediction from 2016 to 2026 is a 1.2 percent annual average increase in the statewide population. And predictions that those age 60 and older will grow by 4% annually, faster than the 3.1 percent national average.
This means the workforce shortage in Idaho isn’t going to disappear anytime soon. In fact, it has been predicted that a shortage of 49,000 workers by 2024, a great hindrance to the growth of the state’s economy.
Apprenticeships are a big win for businesses in Idaho. Employers who are involved in apprenticeship programs are structuring a pipeline of talent that’s capable of increased productivity and low turnover, with retention rates as high as 91 %
For persons seeking careers, a registered apprenticeship is a job and earnings that are bound to advance their skills, knowledge, performance, and wages through training. Nationally, the average starting wage is $16.50 per hour and increases based on performance.
Graduates earn an average of $60,000 per year. Apprentices who complete the program sometimes earn credentials that are equivalent to a 2- or 4-year degree, without any debt.
Idaho Power
Idaho Power has been a locally operated energy company since the year 1916. Their goal is to provide 100 % clean energy by 2045 builds their history as a clean-energy leader that provides a service that’s reliable at reasonable prices.
Idaho Power is an electric utility engaged in the generation, transmission, distribution, sale, and purchase of electric energy and is regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the state regulatory commissions of Idaho and Oregon.
The Idaho Power offers 8 different apprenticeship training programs, all which are recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship.
These amazing career opportunities offer medical, dental and vision insurance, a superb compensation, career development, stability and a great chance to provide a valued service to their customers
Apprenticeships Offered By Idaho Power
Station Technician Apprentice
As a Technician Apprentice you’ll assists Station Control Technicians with installing, commissioning, and troubleshooting substation and power plant control systems, including: Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system monitoring equipment, Remote Terminal Units (RTUs), remedial action schemes (RAS), & protective relay, control, and communication systems.
The station technician works in a team atmosphere in order to learn the mechanics of operation, maintenance, testing, troubleshooting, and installation, & repair of station equipment
Apprentice Duties includes
- Assist with emergency operation of stations & station equipment.
- Assist with switching & operation of station equipment.
- Assist with emergency operation of stations & station equipment.
- Assist in executing minor and major maintenance and repair of, equipment and station facilities.
- Assist with installing and commissioning substation equipment.
- Assist in moving power transformers and regulators, including oil handling, loading, unloading, refilling and preparing for service.
- Assist with the maintenance of power transformers and regulators, this includes; wiring, switching equipment out of service, replacing gaskets, grounding, re-bussing and other work required to return equipment to service.
- Assist with tests of station apparatus using a variety of test equipment.
Lineman Apprentice
Under direct supervision, of a trained professional, a lineman apprentice performs new construction and maintenance work on both overhead and underground distribution and transmission lines. Completing your apprenticeship training, and becoming a journeyman lineman requires that you work full time for at least 3-4 years as an apprentice.
Apprentice Duties includes
- Maintain work records.
- Assist in stocking line trucks & maintaining tools and equipment.
- Assist in planning jobs to ensure compliance with approved safety and construction standards and procedures
- Drive, maintain and operate lines vehicles and properly station them for the work to be done.
The Line Operations Technician Apprentice is responsible for installing, operating & maintaining the reclosers, capacitors, regulators, sectionalizers, line relays/controls, distribution automation systems & remote device communications systems instructed by a trained lineman/professional.
Technical expertise and support for lines operations and emergency restoration are provided by the apprentice. He/she works side by side with the regional engineering teams and monitors devices for accurate operation and suitable settings.
Apprentice Duties includes;
- Supervise the installation of growth-related capacitor banks.
- Engage in automated capacitor programs and integration into the Automated Capacitor Control (ACC) system.
- Prepare existing capacitors for the summer peak.
- Monitor and upgrade line voltage regulators and controls.
- Set up and troubleshoot communications with remote line devices and various automation systems.
- Set up and troubleshoot automated switching schemes for large commercial and industrial customers, including customer interaction.
- Manage line recloser and capacitor periodic maintenance programs.
- Create the relay/control setting and maintenance database.
- Collect actual field measurements of feeder loadings and voltage levels for model verification and calibration.
- Provide training to teams and line crews online equipment controls.
- Perform field and bench repairs of electronic and microprocessor line equipment controls.
- Assist in the analysis of lines systems operations.
- Ensure protective schemes are performing to lines design/performance as expected by test or analysis.
- Initiate action to resolve apparatus problems that arise, and evaluate changes to ensure accurate, timely and efficient implementation.
Meter Technician Apprentice
The meter technician apprentice learns to scheme, coordinate and perform meter site verifications, metering installations, planned and unplanned metering maintenance and meter accuracy testing in accordance with industry quality and the Meter Quality System requirements.
The apprentice’s responsibility is to learn the Meter Quality System requirements in his/her area of control and is held accountable for adherence to the system requirements.
Apprentice Duties includes;
- Learn to plan, coordinate, and/or execute metering installations & maintenance activities.
- Learn to execute verification and testing of metering equipment and installations, including self-contained secondary, transformer-rated primary, 480-V metering, transformer-rated secondary, transformer-rated substation and transformer-rated transmission station.
- Learn to energize and de-energize distribution and service facilities to facilitate metering installations, maintenance, and customer connections and disconnections.
- Learn to use a personal computer and mainframe applications to maintain all relevant records related to metering.
- Become an expert at the detection and correction of non-conformities to meter quality system requirements, including troubleshooting, corrective action, calculation of billing corrections and assisting in the implementation of preventive action.
- Communication with customers and other stakeholders regarding metering issues.
- On some occasions may be required to perform connects/disconnects, field collections and mentor the meter specialists on the metering team.
Relay Technician Apprentice
The relay technician apprentice ensures the secure operation of interconnected electrical power-system operations by installing, commissioning, troubleshooting, repairing, testing & maintaining power-system monitoring equipment; Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) remote terminal units (RTU); remedial action schemes (RAS) and protective relay, control and communication systems.
The apprentice performs these duties under the supervision of a relay technician and/or system protection and communications leader.
Apprentice Duties includes;
- Test instrument transformers.
- Both routine and emergency testing may be performed. Maintenance of power system protective relaying, monitoring & communications equipment.
- Ensure all transmission system operations are analyzed for cause and proper operation and apply corrective actions, as required, in coordination with system-protection engineering.
- Explain and analyze power, control and communication system test data.
- Calibrate power-system monitoring equipment, transducers, and protective relays.
- Read and properly interpret substation drawings (e.g., single-line drawings, AC and DC schematics, panel wiring diagrams and panel layout drawings).
- Install, test and terminate fiber-optic circuits.
- Assist with scoping, shop panel testing, detailed design review, project construction, and commissioning.
Communication Technician Apprentice
The communication technician apprentice ensures the secure operation of the interconnected electrical power system by installing, commissioning, troubleshooting, repairing, testing & maintaining communications systems while under the supervision of a professional.
Communications systems include Power line carriers, telephones, microwaves, fiber optics, leased circuits, mobile radio systems & other related electronic equipment.
Apprentice Duties includes;
- Installing troubleshooting and repairing two-way mobile radios.
- Maintenance of power line carrier systems and perform testing.
- Provision microwave communication channels
- Perform testing, installation, commissioning, and maintenance of microwave and fiber-optic equipment.
- Perform communications site maintenance, including battery & emergency power systems.
- Maintain the communications database (CommData) with new equipment, test data, new test plans, and schematic changes.
- Works as a member of project teams to assist with scoping, detailed design review, shop panel testing, project construction, and commissioning.
- Respond to system emergency situations after normal business hours in on-call rotation.
Generation Specialist Apprentice
This is a training position, designed to prepare future generation specialists for work in a team based atmosphere. These individuals will learn how to operate and maintain a hydro plant and associated equipment. Other tasks include normal hydro plant housekeeping, park maintenance and preventive maintenance on hydro plant equipment.
Apprentice Duties includes;
- Work with plant generation specialists & technicians on different projects.
- Coordinate plant maintenance & operation with generation dispatchers.
- Operate and maintain dams, intakes, spillways, penstocks, waterways, gates, turbine runners, bulkheads and other related equipment.
- Operate/maintain trucks, cranes and other heavy equipment used in conjunction with maintenance & repair work.
- Perform preventive & corrective maintenance on the power facilities, buildings, fish facilities, and other associated equipment.
- Perform communications site maintenance, including battery & emergency power systems.
- Design, fabricate, assemble, install & perform modifications to equipment old and new.
- Operate and maintain electrical equipment: governors, generators exciters, voltage regulators, motor generators, transformers, cranes and hoists, power circuit breakers, turbines, pumps, compressors, air, building, and vehicle wiring & other auxiliary equipment.
Generation Technician Apprentice
This apprentice provides technical support to generation plants in the procurement, installation & programming of the latest equipment. He/she assists and acquire the skill/training from journeyman technicians/supervisors in performing the functions necessary to maintain the power plant apparatus in reliable working condition.
This includes programming, maintenance & service work. The apprentice completes additional assigned tasks and assumes a leadership role when necessary.
Apprentice Duties includes;
- Assist in the installation, wiring, programming, and checking of equipment additions.
- Provide assistance in the design and installation of control systems and software programs, and in the proper use of test equipment. Conduct tests, make adjustments, diagnose the trouble and take measures to correct it.
- Update plant prints as changes are made and provide technical assistance as needed in procuring and installing new equipment and maintaining existing equipment. Keep records of maintenance and spare parts.
- Maintenance and service work on power plant apparatus and equipment, including protective relays and devices, indicating and recording instruments, SCADA and load control equipment, voltage regulators, governors, controls for cranes and hoists, circuit breaker mechanisms and controls, start and shutdown controls of the main generating units, microwave radio and multiplex equipment, telephone systems, protective relaying carriers, and microprocessors.
Qualification/Requirements
- Applicant must be 18 years of age
- Applicant must have a valid driver license
- Applicants must take & pass an aptitude test
- The applicant must be in good health and physically able to perform the chosen trade.
Visit their Career Opportunities page to view available apprenticeship job postings and additional requirements.
- Contact Info:
- Address: P.O. Box 70 Boise, ID 83707
- Phone: 208-388-2323
- Toll-Free: 1-800-488-6151
Website: https://www.idahopower.com
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The road to a professional isn’t easy, but it’s definitely going to be worth it. Once you’re finished your apprenticeship you can stay on with the company, or look for full-time employment elsewhere. Either way, you’d be a skilled professional with confidence when you apply for a job and trade.