INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- USIC employs more than 11,000 professional locate technicians who perform over 80 million underground utility locates each year to protect infrastructure and communities throughout the U.S. and in Canada. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, USIC has partnered with the Hinds Career Center, which is located about 50 miles north in Elwood, Indiana and serves seven school districts, to offer underground utility locating training to high school seniors.
The course, which incorporates classroom and field instruction, is held in a Hinds Career Center classroom which USIC has renovated and equipped with materials, including state-of-the-art virtual reality technology which simulates real-world locating. USIC Vocational Education Coordinator Darrin Haynes leads two classes each school day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Upon completion of the course, students will be fully trained to immediately begin a career as a locate technician with USIC or within the industry. USIC offers to pay for students' relocation to any of the 47 states in which it operates. At full capacity, the USIC course can prepare up to 40 students each year for new jobs as locate technicians in Indiana and nationwide.
"At USIC, we are proud to partner with the Hinds Career Center to provide opportunities for Indiana students to receive training which makes them eligible to be hired by our company as a locate technician immediately following graduation from high school. This program is their first step toward a long-term career which pays well and offers tremendous benefits and the potential for career advancement," USIC President and CEO Mike Ryan stated. "We hope to develop similar partnerships with other vocational education institutions across Indiana and throughout our operating network. USIC is committed to supporting and giving back to the communities in which our employees work and live. It's a win-win situation, with the program providing a steady stream of fully trained locate technicians ready to join our USIC team."
During the first week of training this school year, potential, future locate technicians expressed excitement about the program and the profession of underground utility locating:
- "I'm starting to really get into it and think it is something I would like to be doing – being outside and not stuck in an office." - "I know that this is a job that is always going to be here, unlike some vocations where jobs are being replaced by robotics and automation." - "I like that utility locating offers more opportunities and has more of a career style than other jobs." - "This has been way better than I expected. We have already had a lot of opportunity to be hands on." - "It's not as intimidating as I thought it would be. Mr. Haynes provides hands-on instruction and is very helpful." - "It's challenging – not too challenging and not overly easy. I like some adversity to work through." - "USIC seems like a company that doesn't treat employees like a number, but takes care of you."
"Whether they learned about the class through school, the course catalog, family, or friends, most of the students seem to recognize very quickly that utility locating is a profession that will keep them challenged while not being so complex that it is out of their reach," instructor and USIC Vocational Education Coordinator Darrin Haynes commented.
About USIC, LLC USIC, LLC, headquartered in Indianapolis, IN, is North America's largest provider of utility damage prevention services and advanced utility solutions for protecting and maintaining infrastructure and critical assets throughout the United States and in Canada.
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