The Joint Michigan Apprentice Program (JMAP) celebrated its first class of apprentices becoming journeymen electrical lineworkers at the Wolverine Power Cooperative Training Center on Monday, May 7.

The inaugural class celebrated the graduation of 18 apprentice linemen from 13 Michigan utilities that collectively span Michigan’s entire Lower Peninsula.

Among the graduates were:

  • Kent Brecheisen, Coldwater Board of Public Utilities
  • Shaun Curtis, Presque Isle Electric & Gas Cooperative
  • Eric Duranceau, Bay City Electric Light & Power
  • Chad Ehmcke, Holland Bond of Public Works
  • Brandon Hartley, Cherryland Electric Cooperative
  • Andrew Irion, Sebewaing Light & Water
  • Mike Killebrew, Grand Haven Board of Light & Power
  • Zakery Kruskie, Great Lakes Energy
  • Joseph Laidlaw, Bay City Electric Light & Power
  • Travis Lampen, Holland Board of Public Works
  • David Lark, Cherryland Electric Cooperative
  • Richard Mutschler, Lowell Light & Power
  • James Olson, Gladstone Department of Power & Light
  • David Patterson, Newberry Water & Light
  • Andrew Paulus, Presque Isle Electric & Gas Cooperative
  • Kip Sundberg, City of Marshall
  • Jordan Wilson, Midwest Energy & Communications
  • Joel Zebolsky, City of Marshall

The JMAP is a U.S. Department of Labor-certified program committed to producing safe, high-quality journeymen through exceptional, state-of-the-art apprenticeship training. The program is a partnership between Wolverine Power Cooperative, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 876 (IBEW), and Northwest Lineman College—an industry-leading educational institution that provides pre-apprentice, apprentice, and journey-level training for hundreds of companies throughout the United States and internationally.

“The Joint Michigan Apprentice Program is proud to prepare Michigan’s lineworkers of the future,” said Eric Baker, president and chief executive officer at Wolverine Power Cooperative. “We’re confident in their readiness to provide safe, exceptional service to their utilities, members, customers, and fellow lineworkers.”

The JMAP began in the fall of 2017 and welcomed its first class of 61 apprentices from 28 Michigan utilities in the program’s inaugural class in September.