Indiana Statewide’s JT&S department developed the Rural Electric Apprenticeship Program (REAP), to ensure consistent professional training for electric linemen at cooperatives in the state of Indiana. To complete the four-year program, an apprentice must attend 576 hours of classroom instruction and related study, and have 8,000 hours of on-the-job training.
JT&S instructors provides apprentices with the following phases of training in addition to their classroom instruction:
- Basic Climbing
- Advanced Climbing
- Bucket Material/ Hot Line
- Regulator
- Staking
- Underground
- Substation
- Meter
- Rubber Glove School
- Correspondence Study Program
In 2001, thanks to a state grant, Indiana Statewide joined forces with Ivy Tech State College to offer an Associate of Applied Science in Apprenticeship Technology – Electrical Line Technician degree. REAP apprentices complete four core classes to earn their associate’s degrees: Human Relations in the Workplace, Economic Fundamentals, Technical Writing in the Workplace, and Managing Your Personal Finances. Indiana Statewide’s JT&S department was instrumental in the creation of this unique opportunity to tie line training to a college degree. At the end of the four-year apprenticeship program, each graduate can earn an associate’s degree and a journeyman’s certificate.