From a field of more than 1200 applicants, just 10 new recruits have been selected to become Powercor apprentices.
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This includes 20-year-old Joel O'Connell from Ballarat North, who will become a lineworker.
"I was just bloody excited, obviously a lot of people go for it, so I was relieved," he said, adding he'd wanted to go for the job since leaving school.
"The opportunity came up, so I just went for it."
Lineworkers take care of overhead and underground electricity networks, including repairing them after storms or collisions and hooking up new houses.
The apprenticeship lasts four years, with TAFE and on-the-job training, resulting in a Cert III in ESI Distribution (Powerlines).
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Powercor's head of field services, Ross Young, said in a statement the number of applicants jumped 56 per cent in 2021.
"Apprenticeships are an important way we invest in our people, providing opportunities to learn the skills needed to create a career in an exciting industry," he said.
"As Victoria adopts more clean energy resources, and households are installing solar, batteries, and investing in electric vehicles, our new apprentices will play an important role in supporting our customers make these changes."
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