GreyStone Power Corporation has expanded its commitment to community by offering a summer internship to students. Landon Akin and Cal Bentley had the opportunity to be participants in the program this summer. The interns, who are recent graduates of the Paulding College and Career Academy (PCCA), learned the ins and outs of line work at GreyStone.

Before starting the internship, Akin and Bentley received energy and lineman career training at the Jerry Lamar Tucker and Ellen Barrett Tucker Energy Pathway Lab at the PCCA. The lab was named after GreyStone retiree Jerry Tucker and his late wife, Ellen. This is the first year of the program and the co-op is exclusively working with the PCCA for the internship.

“We hope this is the first of many internship programs offered through the career academy,” said Jarred Stevens, director of safety & loss control. “We are hoping that it’s a successful pilot and proves to be beneficial to the students.”

During the four weeks of the program, the interns had the opportunity to go out in the field with GreyStone linemen, learning about different wiring and materials as well as how to put it together. Akin hopes to use his experience gained during the internship as a stepping stone into a career in line work.

“I love it,” said Akin. “I love being outside and being able to work instead of sitting in a classroom.” 

The internship is only for students attending the PCCA in the Energy Pathway in their junior or senior year. To be eligible, a student must be interested in a career in the energy industry and be in good standing as determined by the Energy Pathway instructor. 

In addition to the lineman internship, GreyStone also offers opportunities for students to work in other areas of the co-op. For more information on requirements and how to apply to be a student worker, please contact HRSupport@greystonepower.com. 

GreyStone Power is a member-owned cooperative providing electricity and related services to more than 123,000 members in eight counties, including portions of Paulding, Douglas, Fulton, Cobb, Carroll, Bartow, Fayette and Coweta counties.

###

Photo caption: PCCA graduate Landon Akin participates in the inaugural summer internship program at GreyStone Power.