Partnership helps Hazard lineman graduates buy tools for jobs

Recent graduates of Hazard Community and Technical College’s lineman program got a direct assist with one of the biggest costs standing between training and a paycheck: the starter tools needed to take a line job. The partnership between Shaping Our Appalachian Region and HCTC was built to help recent lineman graduates move from the classroom into the workforce faster, with local leaders treating the tool bill as the final barrier for students who are already trained but not yet job-ready.

That matters in Perry County because linework is one of the region’s clearest paths into steady skilled employment. HCTC describes its lineman training as a Utility Technician Certificate program, and the college says the program earned the Community Colleges of Appalachia’s 2016 Workforce Development Award. The school’s training is designed to feed directly into utility work, but the cost of essential gear can still slow a graduate down at the exact moment a job offer is within reach.

The new tool support fits into a broader Eastern Kentucky workforce push that has already drawn attention from Kentucky Power and the AEP Foundation. In August 2024, the AEP Foundation announced $36,000 in grants for Ashland, Big Sandy and Hazard community and technical colleges, with each school receiving $12,000. Those grants were set aside for lineworker scholarships to cover tuition, books, fees and tools needed for the lineworker certificate program. Kentucky Power has also said utilities across the country are competing for line crew employees, underscoring how valuable a local pipeline into the trade has become.

Perry County Judge-Executive Scott Alexander has been part of the discussion around the partnership, reflecting how closely county government is tying workforce development to economic strategy. Alexander has served since Jan. 5, 2015, and the county’s government page says Perry County and the City of Hazard have secured more than $100 million in grant funds during his tenure. That record helps explain why a tool-assistance program for lineman graduates has landed as more than a small charity gesture. It is another effort to turn outside funding into local jobs.

SOAR describes itself as a regional initiative covering 54 counties in Eastern Kentucky, and the group has repeatedly framed its work around keeping opportunity close to home. In this case, the payoff is concrete: graduates who can buy the tools they need are more likely to accept utility jobs quickly, employers can fill openings with better-prepared applicants, and more Perry County residents can turn technical training into income without leaving the region.