Program prepares apprentice lineworkers to keep 13,000 miles of line and 144,000 meters safe and reliable

By Connie Juarez

During the last several years, Gunnar Schwartz learned that a lineworker’s job involves more than putting up poles and stringing wire.

“You learn how the control center and substations operate, which helps you see the bigger picture of how everything connects,” Schwartz said. He and 11 other Bluebonnet apprentices learned how to build overhead and underground lines, troubleshoot and restore power during outages, maintain electrical equipment and install and repair meters. 

Beyond the technical skills, the program emphasizes the importance of working with a team and building on others’ experience and strengths. 

Schwartz, who is based in Giddings, is proud to have finished the program, but he is also aware of the expectations that come with the job. 

“Now you’re the one people look to for answers,” the 30-year-old graduate said. “It’s a good feeling, but it comes with more responsibility.”

Schwartz and the other 11 apprentice lineworkers at Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative completed their training in 2025 and joined the co-op’s experienced team of journeyman lineworkers. They work to ensure members have safe, reliable power across the cooperative’s 3,800-square-mile service area.

Completing Bluebonnet’s lineworker apprentice program requires 8,000 hours of on-the-job training and 672 hours of technical instruction, typically requiring four years. Graduates earn certification from the U.S. Department of Labor and are prepared to handle a wide range of fieldwork. 

Joining Schwartz in earning journeyman certification were Huston Burgess, Colton Harris, Cooper Lucherk, Thomas Medrano, Tanner Meuth, Darrin Ott, Ryan Smith, Terry Swonke, Brett Wellmann, Brent Westbrook and Trevor Williams. Lucherk, Swonke, Wellmann and Williams began their careers as lineworker interns in 2021, completing a six-month training program before beginning the apprentice training.

Harris, who is based in Bastrop, said the apprentice program showed him the value of building on a team’s strengths. 

“There are things I’m not as good at as others, and things I’m better at,” he said. “It’s all about working with people and understanding there are many ways to do things.” 

Working to restore power during ice storms gave Harris his most meaningful experiences on the job. “Seeing people’s relief when the lights came back on — that’s what makes it all worth it,” he said.

Reaching journeyman status was important to Harris. “In my family, there’s a long tradition of line work,” he said. “It’s exciting to reach this point, but the journey is just beginning. There is so much more to learn and accomplish.”

Including the 2025 graduating class, 165 apprentices have completed Bluebonnet’s lineworker program since it began in 2004.

Chad Weiss, operations superintendent in Brenham, said the apprentice 
program provides a solid career path that is close to home.

“The majority of the candidates who take part in our program are from Bluebonnet’s service area,” Weiss said. “The program produces skilled, safety-driven, dependable lineworkers who take pride in their work. It’s great to see them building a future in the same communities they’re helping every day.”

The Bluebonnet intern program, which started in 2018, provides six months of technical instruction in line work. To advance into the apprentice program, participants must also obtain power-pole climbing certification and a commercial driver’s license.

To learn more about Bluebonnet’s lineworker internship and apprenticeship programs, visit bluebonnet.coop/careers.