The Joint Michigan Apprentice Program (JMAP) celebrated its second class of apprentices becoming journeymen electrical lineworkers at the Wolverine Power Cooperative Training Center on Friday, May 3.

The class celebrated the graduation of 23 apprentice lineworkers from 12 Michigan utilities that collectively span Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas. Among those who completed the program was Scott LeCureux from Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op (PIE&G).

“Apprentice lineworkers have dedicated thousands of hours to become a master in their craft to provide reliable power to our members,” said Tom Sobeck, CEO at PIE&G. “They place their lives on the line every day for our community, and we are exceedingly proud of their accomplishment and commitment to service.”

Upon graduation from JMAP, LeCureux will continue working at PIE&G alongside fellow journeymen and apprentice lineworkers who provide the essential service of power line maintenance and first-response in the event of outages and emergencies.

The JMAP is a U.S. Department of Labor-certified program committed to producing safe, high-quality journeymen through exceptional, state-of-the-art apprenticeship training. The program is a partnership between Wolverine Power Cooperative, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 876 (IBEW), and Northwest Lineman College—an industry-leading educational institution that provides pre-apprentice, apprentice, and journey-level training for hundreds of companies throughout the United States and internationally.

The JMAP began in the fall of 2017 and welcomed its first class of 61 apprentices from 28 Michigan utilities in the program’s inaugural class in September 2017.