Building a Stronger Public Power Workforce Through Training

American Municipal Power, Inc.’s (AMP’s) Lineworker Training Program has experienced remarkable growth in recent years, reflecting AMP’s commitment to equipping Member communities with the knowledge and skills needed to thrive in an evolving energy industry.

Program Evolution and Expansion

What began in the early 1990s as a focused effort to provide essential training in climbing skills and safety for lineworkers in Member communities has expanded into a comprehensive suite of programs designed for lineworkers of all levels — from basic to advanced — as well as power plant operators. In 2019, AMP relocated its training program to the building next door to AMP’s headquarters. That same year, AMP established a four-year training syllabus for the program, which included one-week sessions for each level of training; in those one-week sessions, lineworkers participated in dedicated classroom and hands-on outdoor skills.

Over the past several years, AMP added more components to its training program: an indoor transformer training lab, including a transformer trainer simulator; and an equipotential grounding simulator, allowing students to simulate grounding techniques. In 2023, AMP expanded each apprenticeship level course to two weeks and adjusted classroom curriculum and content accordingly. This growth in the program underscores AMP’s dedication to supporting the long-term success of public power utilities in its Member communities. We’ve also begun offering refresher training for journey lineworkers and offering continuing education to more experienced lineworkers

Participation Growth

The numbers tell a compelling story. Over the past 27 years, more than 1,400 lineworkers from 91 different Members in six states have attended AMP’s lineworker training program. In recent years, participation has surged, with more utilities recognizing the value of investing in workforce development. In 2025 alone, AMP had 112 individuals from 43 Member communities participate in the Lineworker Apprentice Training Program over 12 weeks of training at AMP headquarters. In addition, in 2025, AMP provided individual training sessions geared toward specific Member needs.

Expanded Offerings

The past year has been monumental for the lineworker training program in other ways, as well.

In April, the first class of lineworker apprentices graduated with AMP’s U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Certification. Lineworker apprentices who complete all steps of the apprenticeship program through AMP are eligible to receive certification from the U.S. DOL because AMP’s training program was approved in 2023 as a Registered Apprenticeship Sponsor. This approval allows Members, regardless of state, to register their apprentices for certification through AMP’s registered apprenticeship program. We currently have an additional 89 individuals enrolled in this program from 28 Member communities.

In addition, in 2025 AMP added a DOL Certification for power plant operators, and five individuals are currently enrolled. AMP is also working toward earning approval for the DOL Substation Technician certification for lineworker apprentices.

Building Up

After receiving approval from the AMP Board of Trustees in late 2024, AMP broke ground in early 2025 on a major 8,000-square-foot building expansion of the AMP Member Training Center. The building will be completed in early 2026 and ready for the 2026 training schedule.

This building expansion will create training flexibility and allow for year-round Member lineworker training by reducing weather constraints. The additional space also allows more room for lab spaces, to maximize the number of hands-on activities and type of training that AMP can offer. Some interesting construction facts include:

• 8,000-square-foot expansion;
• 64 feet tall building, with 60 feet of indoor height, allowing for an indoor climbing area with 40-foot-tall poles that can be removed and reset;
• 10 to 12 lab spaces covering a variety of topics, including reclosers, underground, transformers, metering and distribution components; and
• 4-foot-tall by 10-foot-wide windows to let in natural light.

Looking ahead, AMP’s team is already planning for future growth, including adding training classes for apprenticeship, continuing education and substation training.

The benefits of this growth are clear. The goals of enhanced training are to improve safety and strengthen reliability for the Member communities that AMP serves. By equipping the employees in these communities with advanced skills, AMP is helping its Members build resilient teams.

AMP’s vision is to provide Members and their customers with the highest-quality, forward-looking services and solutions, and AMP’s training program exemplifies that commitment. This commitment to workforce development is more than words; it’s reflected in the tangible growth and evolution of AMP’s Lineworker Training Program. By investing in this program, AMP and its Members are meeting today’s challenges while building a stronger public power workforce for tomorrow.