Student showcases Yavapai College lineman and CDL training in Chino Valley Unified School District partnership

Gunnar Hoover, a seventh-grade student at Heritage Middle School, described his experience in a Yavapai College lineman and CDL training program that the Chino Valley Unified School District is promoting. "I like the excitement and the risks of becoming a lineman," Hoover said, explaining that linemen climb and repair electrical poles and can earn good pay.

An instructor involved with the Yavapai College program said students receive safety training and practical experience on pole climbing. The instructor noted that participants practice on poles "of a 120 feet up there" and that the program pairs lineman instruction with commercial driver’s license (CDL) coursework. According to the instructor, lineman students also complete CDL training because, the instructor said, "you cannot be a lineman unless you have a CDL."

Hoover recounted being nervous at first when he put on the safety gear but said he grew to enjoy the work and praised his instructor, Kurt Laplace, by name. Hoover said he first met the instructor in 2019 and initially considered truck driving before taking more lineman classes and learning pole-climbing and line setup.

Program supporters framed the partnership as an early career pathway for students. An instructor urged parents to introduce children to technical careers before high school, arguing that roles such as plumbers, truck drivers and linemen will remain in demand despite technological change. Hoover recommended the program to peers interested in driving or electrical work, calling the experience "a lot of fun."

For more information, the district directs interested families to chinovalleyschools.com.