![]() Pohl spent a good deal of time crunching spreadsheet numbers. Not all assignments were glamorous, of course. He worked alongside other engineers inspecting nuclear fuel. Pohl worked as both an engineering intern and co-op participant at the now-shuttered Fort Calhoun Station.Īt one point, he piloted a remote-control submarine for an up-close view of the reactor vessel area. They usually go to more senior, experienced students. ![]() A foot in the doorįor engineers, internships are generally a three-month summer experience, whereas co-ops can last eight or nine months and involve taking a semester off from school. Most line technician interns are students at Metro Community College or Northeast Community College, but Mercer said OPPD is working to expand its network of partner schools. We don’t want them standing around too much.” But we want them to be busy and learning. “If a crew’s going to be doing hot work and the intern is just watching, we’ll let them do that for maybe a day. “We want to get them into a situation where they can get their hands dirty,” he said. Interns won’t do any “hot” work that involves live electrical wires, but Mercer said OPPD still gives them plenty of hands-on experience. They stock trucks, ensure their crew has ice and water available and provide whatever help is needed. Mercer said interns perform a lot of work similar to first-year apprentices. “They have to leave a good impression for us to continue our relationship with that person.” “It’s really important that these interns know they’re being interviewed daily for the next three months of their internship,” Mercer said. OPPD plans to have nine interns this summer, split among the utility’s three service centers. OPPD’s internship program for line workers has helped the utility identify some highly successful candidates for full-time careers, said Aaron Mercer, manager of OPPD’s Papillion Service Center, who interviews and helps oversee interns. They let me get my hands on as much as they could.” Making a good impression “I definitely expected to be treated like an intern. “I was surprised, to be honest,” said Brouse, who now works as an apprentice line worker in Kansas City. He rode up in a bucket to work on de-energized electrical equipment. He learned firsthand about switching orders in electrical work. His classroom experience at Metropolitan Community College came to life in real-world situations.īrouse helped set up potheads, a type of insulated electrical terminal that connects power lines to padmount transformers, which in turn make electricity usable in homes. When Jaden Brouse started as a line technician intern last year at OPPD’s Papillion Service Center, he figured he’d be doing a lot of grunt work.īut shortly after he arrived, Brouse found himself learning from, and working side-by-side with, seasoned line workers who viewed him as just another coworker, albeit with less experience. Students and recent graduates worked alongside engineers, line technicians, substation workers and other utility professionals that showed them their trade. The utility hired 19 students last year for internships, professional co-ops and other programs, according to OPPD’s Human Capital business unit. For many, it’s a pathway to a rewarding, full-time career. I encourage as many young engineers as I can to think about careers in public power.”Įvery year, OPPD offers more than a dozen internships and co-ops to give college students a taste of life in public power. My internship and co-op experiences prepared me for numerous roles within our utility. “I get to collaborate with employees across the district, and each day brings a new set of challenges and opportunities. “I’ve just absolutely loved it,” said Pohl, who now works as OPPD’s programs & planning manager for Utility Operations. Internship programs benefit both students and the utility, said Mark Pohl, a former intern and current programs & planning manager for Utility Operations. But the work led him to a widely varied, 17-year career that still excites him today. Pohl wasn’t sure what to expect in 2004 when he started at OPPD as an intern, and later a co-op program participant. Photo by Danielle Beebe-Iskeīy the time he finished college with an engineering degree at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Mark Pohl had banked some eye-catching experiences that would make any job seeker’s resume pop. Jaden Brouse, left, then a line technician intern, works with Line Technician Scott Bellows in June 2022. ![]()
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