Get into a rewarding energy and utilities career through NICC
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
NICC students graduate with skills in heavy equipment operation, plastic pipe fusing and installation, gas line installation, gas meter and service mechanics, gas regulator maintenance and appliance repair.
The energy sector will always need skilled employees to work in an industry that changes with the times and adapts to new technologies. These features and opportunities to work hands-on are what drew Jason Hilby to the industry after realizing a four-year college wasn’t the best fit.
Jason is a 2012 graduate of Northeast Iowa Community College’s Gas Utility Construction and Service program and is now a community operations technician for Black Hills Energy. Every workday is different, which is one of the most appealing aspects of his job, Jason says.
“I do a variety of things on any given day. From locating, to repairing leaks, rebuilding meter sets, fixing underground pipe when it gets hit, working on odorizers – all the way down to just reading meters. This is why I enjoy this trade; it’s very different and nearly everything I do is outside,” Jason said.
“Almost all of the learning aspects of the program are hands-on and that’s the best way to learn, I think. I enjoyed running the equipment and, for practice, causing excavation damage to a mini-distribution system in the test pot and then repairing it,” he said. “Doing some of the simpler things like building meter sets is also built into the program at NICC. I felt like I was ready to hit the ground running when I started at Black Hills in 2013.”
Program instructor, Al Dolan, believes graduates are motivated, eager to learn, knowledgable and positioned to address workforce shortages when high numbers of current workers retire in the next several years.
“If you are willing to travel, graduates can take advantage of great career opportunities in the natural gas industry and gain experience to be very marketable. There are utility companies that have employed people for 30 years. This is a good, well-paying job. The employment opportunities for graduates who complete the one-year program at NICC are so much greater than they are for someone who has a four-year degree. Once you gain experience in this field, you can go anywhere,” Al said.
Jason wants to keep developing his skills so he can move into advanced positions with Black Hills Energy. “In the future, I would like to get into the measurement technician role within the company, which is working on our large volume meter sets, our regulation stations and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems,” he said.
This energy field has great advancement opportunities offering diverse job sites in an outdoor environment. NICC students graduate with skills in heavy equipment operation, plastic pipe fusing and installation, gas line installation, gas meter and service mechanics, gas regulator maintenance and appliance repair. Classroom instruction combined with indoor and outdoor lab work develop communication and safety skills for job sites and appropriate customer service skills while interacting with the public. Students will also be on the pathway to earn a Commercial Driver's License (CDL) in the program. Projected job openings growth in northeast Iowa is 6.2% through 2028, according to Lightcast occupational data.
Visit the Gas Utility Construction and Service page for more information.