Six VINLEC Linemen receive certification

Six Linemen employed with St Vincent Electricity Services Limited have received formal certification through a Lineman Certification programme, accredited by the Institute for Safety in Powerline Construction (ISPC).

The Caribbean Electric Utility Service Corporation (CARILEC) Lineman Certification Programme was designed by ISPC and tailored to suit the needs of Linewokers who work within member countries of the umbrella body. CARILEC is an association of electric utilities, suppliers, manufactures and other stakeholders operating in the electricity industry in the Caribbean.”{{more}}

The first module of the programme, Distribution for Linemen Basics, was self study module which included traditional classroom instructor-led sessions. Since the programme commenced in 2013, the trainees were required to complete a number of theoretical and field assessments. The final assessment took place on May 13 and 14 at a training ground set up in Diamond. During that period, the Linemen were required to carry out practical exercises which included installing and replacing fixtures on the Transmission and Distribution system, conducting pole top and bucket truck rescues, interviews, among other things. The assessment was carried out by Tony Boyd of the ISPC, Michael Ambrose, certified examiner from St Lucia Electricity Services Limited and Laurena Primus, Training Manager at CARILEC.

The six Linemen were presented with their certificates at a ceremony at VINLEC’s Engineering Complex on Wednesday June 15. The Line workers have a combined 141 years of service with the Company. They are Rodney Duncan, Brian Deane, Dwight Roberts, Junior Campbell, Lonnie Dabrell and Les Malcolm.

Speaking at the ceremony, senior transmission and distribution engineer Elrias Williams congratulated the workers for their outstanding performance. He said that the programme covered the basic needs of workers and that it is intended to raise the level of training for VINLEC’s line workers to a vocational profession. Mr. Williams noted that with this certification, the employees have the knowledge and skill to do exceptional work in their field internationally. He noted that the programme has five stages and that this is the completion of the first phase.

Meanwhile CARILEC’s representative, Laurena Primus congratulated VINLEC on having their first cohort of certified Linemen. She noted that fifteen Caribbean countries have subscribed to the programme and that VINLEC is the fifth country to have certified Linemen at level one.

Expressions of congratulations were also sounded by VINLEC’s manager, engineering, Dr Vaughn Lewis. Dr Lewis said that throughout the programme Safety was reinforced and he encouraged the Linemen to continue to work safely and called on them to highlight the importance of safe work practices to their colleagues. He said that the training provided opportunities for the participants to improve their technical skills, noting that this will in turn improve customer satisfaction through efficiency and productivity. Dr Lewis said that VINLEC is satisfied that a relevant training programme for Linemen has been identified and that the Company is confident that the investment is valuable.