Top 10 Trades

Success Stories

Power Line Technicians

Chris McClinton

Power Line Technician, BC Hydro

With the wind roaring around his strapped-on hard hat, rain pelting down and cold seeping into his bones, Chris McClinton looks down from the top of a hydro pole...

Power Line Technician, BC Hydro

As Ryan Malcolm takes a moment to look down from his perch high above the wilderness near Prince George, he can see for miles. Moose, deer and bear wander into the view....

going up

Chris McClinton

Power Line Tech, BC Hydro

With the wind roaring around his strapped-on hard hat, rain pelting down and cold seeping into his bones, Chris McClinton looks down from the top of a hydro pole and can barely see the ground. It’s three a.m., November 15, 2006 and while most people are asleep in their beds at home, McClinton is fighting with the “Storm of the Century” that smashed into Port Alberni, BC that night. Finally, after hours, McClinton meets with success –“when you close in the fuse and you see the lights come on – a whole street lights up – and somebody opens their door and calls out a ‘thank you’ – yes, that feels good.” With a grin, he moves on to the next street.

Chris McClinton

McClinton is a third-term apprentice power line technician with BC Hydro in Port Alberni, BC. He says that tangling with the elements is indeed challenging – you have to love the outdoors to excel at the job. But in McClinton’s view, power line technician or ‘linemen’ as they are still called in the industry, is a very rewarding job. In fact he tells me “I can’t believe they pay us for it, it’s so fun!”

Growing up in Sayward, a small town on northern Vancouver Island, McClinton didn’t know what he wanted to do for a career. He was good in math and good with his hands, so a high school counselor recommended ‘trades’ to him, but McClinton wasn’t aware there were opportunities as a power line technician. After graduating from high school in Campbell River, McClinton became employed at Quinsam Coal, but he didn’t really enjoy the job “The guys were great but you never see the sun” the outdoorsman and sports enthusiast commented.

McClinton met some friends who were linemen. He talked to them about their careers, and his interest was sparked. At the same time, he applied for a promotion at the mine and did not get the job, a fact that he now sees as a blessing. Instead, McClinton quit his well-paying job and enrolled in the Power Line Technician Pre-apprenticeship training program, which no longer exists. After completing the program, he obtained an apprenticeship at BC Hydro, and at 26 years old, is just completing his first year of the apprenticeship.

The job is physically and mentally demanding. McClinton absolutely loves it. “You need patience, fitness, and you need to like all types of weather - snow, rain, heat,” McClinton grins as he explains the challenges of the job. Add to that the care and attention needed to stay safe when working with high voltage power lines, and one can see why power line technicians form a strong bond with each other. “The guys are great - we laugh, and have fun, and watch each other’s back, and help each other – you have to.” McClinton explains.

Power line technician is an apprenticable trade in British Columbia. The training for the 3.5 year apprenticeship is delivered by EITI in Surrey. Apprentices and journeymen can work for BC Hydro or one of the many private contractors in the industry. BC Hydro accepts apprentice trainees – people who have grade 12 Math, English and Physics, and if accepted into an apprenticeship, will sponsor them through the whole training program.

McClinton recommends that any young people who are interested in the trades try for a BC Hydro summer job to see if they like it. going up

Ryan Malcolm

Power Line Technician, BC Hydro

As Ryan Malcolm takes a moment to look down from his perch high above the wilderness near Prince George, he can see for miles. Moose, deer and bear wander into his view from what Malcolm describes as “the best office in the world.” He appears barely attached to the earth, but in fact he is safe and secure due to the many precautions that have been taken to get him up to his giant zip-line. It took a long time just to get there – getting to the job site by four-wheel-drive vehicle, then climbing approximately 200 feet up a tower, and eventually making his way along the lines in the little “buggy” he is working from. “It’s a rush,” Malcolm says, as he explains why this transmission line work is his favorite part of the work he has done so far as a power line technician for BC Hydro. Transmission work comes with all the toys – off road vehicles, snowmobiles, and helicopters.

Malcolm has completed his apprenticeship and is now working in Port Alberni as a journeyman. He loves his job, and it shows, as he gathers his tools and then positions his bucket so that he can install a new transformer to provide power for a couple who have just built their dream home in the country. Today is sunny and warm, but Malcolm doesn’t pull any punches when he describes how tough the job can be. “We are out in the worst weather – when it’s bad weather there is usually a call for us to fix something.” He loves the physical work and the troubleshooting aspect of the job – figuring out what is wrong and fixing it.

When Malcolm graduated from high school in 1988, he took a couple of years off to backpack through Europe, and then came home to Langley. At the time, the advice of parents and counselors was to “get a degree – any degree”, so Malcolm obtained a degree in Marine Biology. When he graduated there were no biology jobs for him, so he became a full time lifeguard, did some construction work and then worked in a financial institution. Throughout this time, he had a friend who regularly told him how much he loved his job as a power line technician, and who regularly tried to convince Malcolm to pursue it. Malcolm did, and he’s never looked back.

“The old stereotype of a lineman has been laid to rest.” he says, “We need to be both physically and mentally capable. We have a lot of responsibility, and we take it very seriously.” Malcolm goes on to say that most linemen stay in the career – while there are opportunities to “move inside” most people love the work so much they stay “outside.”

Malcolm hasn’t yet taken up the opportunity to work internationally, but it is there if he wants it – a Canadian trained lineman has the opportunity to work in places like Australia, New Zealand or the United States.

Power line technician is an apprenticeable trade in British Columbia. The training for the 3.5 year apprenticeship is delivered by EITI in Surrey. Apprentices and journeymen can work for BC Hydro or one of the many private contractors in the industry. BC Hydro accepts apprentice trainees – people who have grade 12 Math, English and Physics, and if accepted into an apprenticeship, will sponsor them through the whole training program.

Ryan Malcolm feels power line technicians are well compensated for the hardships they face. “With overtime, people can easily make $130,000 per year, plus benefits,” he says. The union hourly wage for apprentices in British Columbia starts at $24.62 and a journeyman can make up to $38.82 per hour. At BC Hydro, overtime is paid at double time.

Malcolm encourages young people to consider a career as a power line technician if they are physically fit and patient. He describes the job as one where there is a very close- knit team. Malcolm also stresses the need for people who are able to maintain a very high safety standard, both following the procedures and having an instinct for safety.

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