One of the state’s critical occupations is getting a boost thanks to the Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City Power Transmission and Distribution Technology program.

This semester’s enrollees in the PTDT program at OSU-OKC make up the biggest cohort in the history of the program. This program prepares individuals to work in the electrical power transmission and distribution industry, both in the public and private sectors. 

Electrical power line installers and repairers are among Oklahoma’s Top 100 Critical Occupations, with an average of 280 annual openings and median annual earnings of $62,358.40.

Terry Clinefelter, department head of construction technologies at OSU-OKC, said the program gives students direct, firsthand experience. 

"The program is hands-on from day one,” Clinefelter said. “Students are working with industry-level equipment and learning to climb poles right from the start."

The program was reworked two years ago in collaboration with OG&E and other industry partners.

This revamp has contributed to program updates and increased student applications. For fall 2024, 96 students are enrolled in the program, the highest ever.

The addition of more daytime sections has provided students with greater opportunities to enter a high-demand, critical job sector that remains in need throughout the state.

Clinefelter said the revamp aids both industry and trainees.

“Industry support for this degree from OGE and others in these critical Oklahoma job sectors leads to amazing, high-paying career opportunities that support the state,” Clinefelter said. 

People choosing this career, one of the most demanding, will be required to work outdoors in all kinds of weather and conditions. Coursework in electrical principles, safety, pole climbing, driver safety, high-voltage transmission and distribution, and fieldwork qualifies the graduate to work in numerous public and private power utilities across Oklahoma and the United States.

Program graduates can expect to find employment in many segments of the power industry, normally start in an apprenticeship program, and work up to a journeyman lineman position. Employment data indicates this will be a field with high demand for new employees.