Choptank Continues to Grow Partnerships and Support Workforce Development

By Matthew Teffeau, Manager of Government Affairs

Following the successful partnership with Wor-Wic Community College and the Virgina, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives, the Powerline Worker Pre-Apprenticeship program continues to be fully funded and provides opportunities to successful applicants.

Graduates of our second lineworker apprenticeship program pose for a photo with officials and instructors of Wor-Wic Community College, the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives and Choptank Electric Cooperative.

The next step for many graduates is employment in the workforce and completion of an apprenticeship. Choptank Electric Cooperative has an established, registered apprenticeship program through the State of Maryland and a lineworker training facility in Salisbury, Md. Utilizing these existing resources, Choptank Electric Cooperative partnered with the Upper Shore Workforce Investment Board (USWIB) to provide additional financial resources for Choptank employees who are enrolled in the Lineman Technician Apprenticeship Program (LTAP) classes.

The Upper Shore Workforce Investment Board, a U.S. Department of Labor Title I workforce training partner, has invested in Choptank’s electrical apprenticeship program by paying the training expenses related to the registered apprenticeship education. “We are pleased to support Choptank Electric Cooperative’s electrical registered apprenticeship program, as the four-year program results in excellent worker retention and a journeyman electrical license in an industry that continues to grow and demand qualified electricians in the Upper Shore of Maryland,” says Dan Schneckenburger, Executive Director of the USWIB.

To put everything into full perspective, Choptank Electric Cooperative is supporting the current and future workforce development needs to provide pathways for employment opportunities in the communities we serve. This alignment of employers, local workforce boards and the Governor’s Workforce Development Board (GWDB) implement the strategies put forward by the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014.

The GWDB is a business-led board that includes Choptank Electric Cooperative Wicomico Board member, Matt Holloway. Matt represents the agriculture industry on the GWDB with leadership roles through the Career Technical Education committee.

“I have served on the Governor’s Workforce Development Board since 2022,” explains Matt. “The Governor has approved the proposed state workforce plan and we are starting implementation. This four-pillar strategic approach will supercharge key sectors and advance access and equity while preparing the future workforce. Choptank and our local workforce investment boards are key to the fourth pillar of improving system alignment and accountability.”

Investing in and partnering with our local community is important to Choptank Electric Cooperative and the members we serve. Our investment starts at the grade school-level through the Junior Achievement Center and continues with the Powerline Worker Pre-Apprenticeship program at Wor-Wic Community College and finally, employment-based apprenticeships. Successful partnerships are advancing access to workforce opportunities here on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.