Ongoing training essential to Scanpower's operations

Two line mechanics who qualified on Friday, Steven Poole (left) and Calum Joselyn.

Scanpower is a customer trust-owned electricity lines company and supplies power to customers in the Northern Tararua District, with its head office at Oringi Business Park in Dannevirke. The company also operates a power line contracting division that has depots in Feilding, Mangatainoka and Paraparaumu.

This team had been training in high pole rescue.

While Scanpower's core focus is on the management and maintenance of its own electricity network assets, it generates a significant proportion of its total revenue from major contract projects undertaken outside the district.

Most recently these include the installation of electrical and streetlighting services on the Peka Peka to Otaki Expressway project in the Kapiti region, running new power supplies in difficult access and remote locations for the Rural Connectivity Group, and major capital work for other network owners including Powerco in the Wairarapa and Manawatu regions.

Staff training is central to Scanpower's operation, both in terms of ongoing apprentice training programmes and upskilling existing staff. This applies across all of the company's operating divisions, including its specialist utility arborist business, Treesmart.

On Friday, two more staff completed their line mechanic apprenticeships following a two and a half year programme of study and on-the-job training. Stephen Poole and Calum Joselyn both joined Scanpower as trainees directly from Dannevirke High School, with Calum coming via the Gateway programme and Stephen having spotted the opportunity at the Careers Expo held at The Hub in 2017.

Both young men have thrived through their apprenticeship, learning on the job out in the field with Scanpower work crews and completing five block courses run by industry training provider Mita Consulting.

Stephen and Calum agreed it had been a very rewarding experience. Calum now regularly works away on contracting jobs that take him to different parts of the country he hasn't visited before, while Stephen commented that working in all weathers was just part of the job.

Qualified line mechanics are in short supply in New Zealand, and while some companies import labour, Scanpower has remained committed to training and developing local young people.

"The electricity industry is a great career option for those prepared to work hard and commit to a structured programme of high-quality training. The rewards are there," says group HSQT manager Brent Dais.

In addition to line mechanics, Scanpower also runs arborist apprenticeships, with a particular focus on specialised tree-cutting around live power lines. Eden Carson recently completed his apprenticeship and is now a qualified Advanced Level Arborist and Utility Arborist.

On Monday and Tuesday June 22-23, Scanpower held its annual Safety Days involving staff and trainers from all over the country. Key elements of the training included refresher courses on first aid / CPR, updated Electrical Safe Work Practices and Pole Top Rescue. The event is held every year so as to ensure all workers are up to speed with the key skills they need.

All 47 of Scanpower's field staff were in attendance and it was a great opportunity to bring the company together, which is a rare occurrence given the geographic spread of teams over the country. The attendees enjoyed a barbecue lunch cooked by chief executive Lee Bettles and Brent Dais.

"Rustling up a few burgers and sausages is the least I can do. As essential service workers, the majority of our people have just worked through the lockdown, keeping the lights on and power lines safe," said Mr Bettles.

The recently announced Targeted Training Apprenticeship Fund aimed at getting more people into training into the post-Covid environment does not currently apply to line mechanic apprenticeships, however the electricity industry is in the process of making representations to the Government to change this.