Author: Greg Gaspard
Schriever, LA – It’s a sweet story when a son follows in his father’s footsteps. Maybe they played the same sports growing up, or perhaps they share a love for cars. Once in a while you do hear about a son who grows up and actually has the same job as his father. Rarely do you hear about a father and son who have the same jobs at the same company. But how often does a father follow his son’s footsteps? Most likely, this is a first for a lot of us. Nineteen-year-old Cade Villasenor graduated from Fletcher’s Certified Line Worker program in May of this year and is employed by Entergy. Cade was on hand for this cohort’s ceremony to hand his father, 41 year-old Alutimo Villasenor, his very own Entergy hardhat. Together they will be linemen. And they will join the college’s first female certified line worker, Emily Crowley.
Along with Emily and Alutimo, this session’s students have secured employment with Louisiana Energy Workforce Consortia (LEWC) companies: Entergy, Linetec Services, and Chain Electric.
“Fletcher Technical Community College congratulates this most recent cohort of line worker graduates,” commented Fletcher Chancellor, Dr. Kristine Strickland. “This is an intense 16-week program that takes perseverance, focus and drive. Each of these students has demonstrated these skills and many more. We know that they will be successful in their chosen career path and wish them the best of luck as they begin their new journey.”
The Certified Line Worker Training Program provides the necessary foundation for participants to begin their line worker career as a helper/apprentice for an electric utility company. Students are encouraged to complete training in Fletcher’s CDL Class A course, which immediately follows the Line Worker Training Program. Upon completion of both programs, students receive certifications in NCCER, OSHA 10, CPR/First Aid, and CDL Class A license.
Photo caption: The fourth class of Line Worker students who have completed the 4-month program were honored December 11, 2019, at Fletcher Technical Community College. Front row, left to right: Christopher Simon, Dontrea Wiggins, Austin Bland, Alutimo Villasenor, Thomas Bergeron, Daniel Boudreaux, Emily Crowley, Anthony Sellers. Back row, left to right: Jeremiah Conrey, Cody Kraemer, Justin Zeringue, Hunter Buckland, Mason Rolando, Gabriel Thomas, and Instructor, Rock Vedros.