Students here have the opportunity to learn from the best, in a field that is growing faster than ever.
Elijah Thomas squared his orange safety helmet, adjusted his safety goggles, gripped the rope with two gloved hands and yanked as hard as he could.
Slowly, the 50-pound wooden beam rose off the grass.
He pulled the rope again and the beam lifted higher. A minute later, it was at the top of a 40-foot electrical transmission pole.
Thomas felt a jolt of positive energy.
“That wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be,” said Thomas, a junior at Milwaukee Lutheran High School. “I can see myself working in this field. It’s definitely something to think about.”
Thinking about college programs and careers in electrical power distribution was the aim of a community event sponsored by We Energies and Milwaukee Area Technical College.
We Energies Community Day was held Wednesday, April 28 at MATC’s Electrical Power Distribution (EPD) training site, at 30th Street and North Avenue, adjacent to We Energies’ Metro North facility.
At the facility, MATC offers its EPD/Line Mechanic technical diploma program, a 30-credit, nine-month program that covers the basics in electrical power distribution, line mechanics rescue and safety, and general workplace communication.
Since the Metcalfe Park facility opened in the fall of 2023, 16 students have earned technical diplomas, and another 10 will get their diplomas at MATC’s Spring Commencement on May 16. The class sizes are intentionally small because of the hands-on nature of the course and to ensure a safe working environment, said MATC EPD instructor Eddie Nash.
On Wednesday, Thomas was one of several students from Milwaukee Lutheran who attended the event and participated in some duties that linemen would do.
Under the watchful eyes of the soon-to-be 2026 EPD program graduates, the students hoisted cross-shaped poles; carried sections of a wooden pole that weighed 60 and 100 pounds on their shoulders; walked with two buckets each weighing 40 pounds; and used heavy duty cable cutters to slice through wire made of aluminum, copper and steel sheathed with rubber.
They completed the tasks as a brisk wind chilled the facility and rain drops fell intermittently.
“All of these activities are things linemen do almost every day, no matter what the weather is like,” said LaRelle Jackson, who will receive his technical diploma on May 16. “When you do this job, there’s no staying home when it’s freezing out.”
Students already registered in MATC’s EPD program that starts in the fall got to ride in bucket trucks and climb ladders.
“We want to see how prospective students look in the bucket and on the ladder, and to see if there is any fear of heights,” Nash said. “Ninety percent of this job is 40 feet up in the air.”
The EPD/Line Mechanic program prepares students for entry-level electrical line worker positions and other in-demand careers. Graduates can use the training as a step toward an apprenticeship, or could begin jobs with a starting salary of about $63,000 a year.
“Students here have the opportunity to learn from the best, in a field that is growing faster than ever,” said Todd Schaffer, We Energies operations manager and chair of MATC’s EPD/Lineman Mechanic advisory committee.
MATC opened the Metcalfe Park training site in collaboration with We Energies, the City of Milwaukee, the Metcalfe Park neighborhood and the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. Previously, the college offered the EPD/Line Mechanic program only at its Mequon Campus.
“This was once a vacant lot at the edge of the city,” Dr. Sadique Isahaku, MATC’s Vice Provost for Learning, said at Wednesday’s event. “This facility is a testament to what strong partnerships and a shared commitment with the community can accomplish.”
Learn about MATC’s Electrical Power Distribution/ Line Mechanic program
About MATC: As Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. More than 35,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 180 academic programs — many that prepare students for jobs immediately upon completion and others that provide transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 45 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.