FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Clover Park Technical College to Break Ground on Pole Yard for Lineworker & Tree-trimming Program

August 20, 2025

CLOVER PARK TECHNICAL COLLEGE, LAKEWOOD, Wash. – Clover Park Technical College (CPTC) will celebrate the start of its new Lineworker & Arboriculture Program with a groundbreaking ceremony for a new pole yard training facility on its Lakewood campus at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, August 26.

The event will bring together college leadership, elected officials, industry partners, union representatives, and community members to mark the start of what CPTC President Dr. Joyce Loveday called “a big deal for blue collar.” Among the confirmed attendees are:

• Mary Moss Deputy Mayor, City of Lakewood
• Jani Hitchen, District 6, Chair, Pierce County Council
• Victoria Woodards, Mayor, City of Tacoma
• Alice Phillips, CPTC Trustee and (retired) Business Manager IBEW Local 483
• Byron Allen, Business Manager, IBEW Local 483
• John DeVore, General Manager, Lakeview Light & Power
• CPTC executive leadership

Located in the northwest corner of campus, the pole yard will serve as a hands-on training lab designed to simulate real-world linework conditions. Once completed, it will feature up to 70 poles of various sizes, types, and materials. Highly visible from Steilacoom Boulevard and Lakewood Drive SW, the facility will stand as a prominent symbol of the college’s commitment to workforce development.

The new program addresses a shortage of accessible training opportunities for aspiring lineworkers in the Puget Sound region. It combines electrical line training with tree-trimming skills to prepare graduates for a variety of industry roles, including utility linework, vegetation management, and telecommunications installation. Students will also have the opportunity to earn a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL).

The program was born from conversations between CPTC leadership and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 483, led by business manager Byron Allen, with input from the Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (JATC) and leaders from the Vocational Outside Line Training Academy (VOLTA).

Lester Burkes, CPTC Dean of the School of Trades, Transportation, and Apprenticeship, adapted VOLTA’s established curriculum into for-credit college courses. All instruction will be delivered by journeyman-level professionals, ensuring students gain the most relevant, safety-focused training possible.

Industry partners such as Lakeview Light & Power are already lined up to support the program and recruit graduates. “We are proud to support a local program that provides better visibility and opportunity for careers within the skilled trades, especially those related to the electric distribution line trade,” said John DeVore, General Manager of Lakeview Light & Power. 

Former IBEW Local 483 business manager and CPTC Trustee Alice Phillips, who began advocating for the creation of a lineworker program when she joined the Board of Trustees in 2021, points out that the partnership represents a historic shift in workforce training. “In this collaboration, unions, technical colleges, and management of construction companies are collectively establishing a viable pathway toward a sustainable, living-wage career,” said Phillips. 

Classes for the Lineworker & Arboriculture Program begin Fall Quarter 2025. For more information, visit www.cptc.edu/lineworker.

To RSVP for the groundbreaking, please email Maurie Kerns at maurie.kerns@cptc.edu. 

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Clover Park Technical College offers over 40 programs and more than 100 degree and certificate options organized into seven Schools: Aerospace and Aviation; Science, Technology, Engineering and Design; Automotive and Trades; Advanced Manufacturing; Nursing; Health and Human Development; and Business and Personal Services. The college also provides certification, online and distance learning, corporate training, and continuing education courses. For more information, visit www.cptc.edu and find @CloverParkTech on our Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn channels.

MEDIA CONTACT

Jenn Adrien, Executive Director of Marketing & Communications, Clover Park Technical College, jenn.adrien@cptc.edu