Substation Program Grows in Size, Diversity

July 19, 2019 - The Electric Utility Substation & Relay Technology (EUSRT) program at Richmond Community College recently graduated its most diverse class of students. The two-year associate degree program has been prominently populated by white males since its inception in 2011; however, 50 percent of the EUSRT Class of 2019 were minorities and 9 percent of the graduates were females. 

The EUSRT program at RichmondCC is the first of its kind in the state of North Carolina and only offered at a handful of colleges nationwide. Established in partnership between RichmondCC and Duke Energy, the EUSRT program prepares students for lucrative careers in the electric utility industry and other industries that rely on complex control systems.  

The program has long been on the radar of leaders in the utility industry, and companies across the country have been making job offers to EUSRT students even before they walk across the stage at graduation. These students, most of them barely in their 20s, are turning a two-year investment into a lifelong career that includes stipends for relocation, work attire and travel, not to mention entry level salaries that average about $60,000 per year. 

“It’s not unusual for some of our graduates to earn as much as $37 an hour. It all depends on who hires them and where they go,” said Brian Terry, EUSRT program coordinator. “One thing we do emphasize to students who come into the program is that they will need to be prepared to relocate if they want to work as a relay technician. All the local jobs have been filled by our previous graduates.” 

The buzz around this unique degree at RichmondCC is obviously reaching a more diverse group of people, as reflected by the make-up of the students enrolled in the program in 2018-2019. 

Louis Miranda & Nicole Williams 

Louis Miranda’s family came to the U.S. from Nicaragua about 40 years ago. The 25-year-old from Woodbridge, Va., said he thought the program was “too good to be true” when he heard his college roommate from Rockingham talking about it. His roommate, Alex Perakis, said there was a “substation” program at the local community college in his hometown that was preparing people for high-paying jobs in just two years.  

“I really didn’t think you could make that kind of money with a two-year degree,” said Miranda.  

He and Perakis were attending Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., when they started doing some research about the EUSRT program at RichmondCC. They decided to leave Virginia and head to Perakis’ hometown and give it a shot. 

“I wanted to make something of my life, and I knew this was going to be my opportunity,” Miranda said. 

Dominion Energy, the major power supplier in Virginia, hired Miranda when he graduated from the program in May. Miranda has returned to his hometown in Woodbridge, coming full circle, but with a far brighter future than when he left. He is also coming back with a fiancé, Nicole Williams, whom he met in the EUSRT program.  

Also a 2019 graduate of the program, Williams has applied and interviewed with several companies, but she is focusing on furthering her education and getting a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering Technology from Excelsior College. Excelsior and RichmondCC signed a partnership last year that allows EUSRT graduates to transfer up to 90 credits into the engineering program. Because the bachelor degree program is online, Williams can complete her studies at her own pace. 

Trinity Stanley 

Trinity Stanley, one of five females who graduated from the EUSRT program this year, is also planning to take advantage of the partnership with Excelsior College to earn her bachelor’s degree. Her new employer, American Electrical Testing (AET) Company, will be paying for her to complete the program. 

The 18-year-old from Hamlet is among nine students from the EUSRT Class of 2019 who were hired by AET and flown to Boston two weeks after graduation for orientation and training. John Fattore, staffing manager for AET, said in an email that the company is excited to have such outstanding new employees and thanked the College for “entrusting our company with the best and brightest from RichmondCC.” Fattore also said he looked forward to coming back this fall to meet the students who will be graduating in 2020. 

Stanley is the youngest person to complete the EUSRT program. While in high school, she took as many free dual enrollment classes at RichmondCC as she could and entered the associate degree program with many college credits already under her belt. She also came through the program debt free on the RichmondCC Guarantee, a two–year tuition free plan for qualifying high school graduates of Richmond and Scotland counties.  

“I decided to go through the substation program because the power industry is booming and the jobs are in high demand, so you’ll never be left looking for a job,” Stanley said. “Also, it’s a great quality program for just two years of school.” 

Stanley said she has “zero complaints” now that she is actually working in the utility industry.  

“I work with two great leads at AET who are insanely smart at what they do and are great teachers. I am surprised at how much I know and yet surprised at how much I don’t know,” Stanley said. “But the substation program at RichmondCC provides a lot of hands-on learning, and it gave me a basic understanding of the power world. To anyone who is thinking about going through the program, I say do it. You won’t regret it.”  

Thor Vang 

RichmondCC EUSRT graduate Thor Vang was hired by TRC, an industry leader in delivering professional services for public, private and government clients. He is in training in Lancaster, Pa., until the end of August. 

“I’m not sure where they’ll send me next, but I’m willing to go as far as they’ll send me,” the Rowan County native said. “Going through the EUSRT program was an amazing experience and got me out of a slump in my life.” 

Vang had earned some college credits at the local community college in his hometown, but he was working and trying to earn some money to go back to school when his uncle told him about the substation program. His uncle, Teng Vang, works in the Information Technology department at RichmondCC. 

“I fell in love with the program after the first year and began doing some research on my own to learn more about protection and control relays and electromechanical systems,” Vang said. 

Vang, whose parents came to the U.S. from Laos in the 1980s after the Vietnam War, is excited to begin this new chapter of his life, but he does hope to end up back in North Carolina at some point in his career. 

Courtland Rush 

Courtland Rush of Rockingham is one of the eight African-American males who graduated from the EUSRT program this May and one of the three graduates to be hired by Power Grid Engineering, a utility services firm specializing in substation design, field testing and commissioning. Rush headed to Florida at the beginning of July for eight weeks of training. From there, he will travel up north and work as a relay technician in one of three states: Ohio, Indiana or Pennsylvania. 

A graduate of Richmond Senior High School, Rush has spent the past three years trying to figure out a career for his life. He tried the military. He started studying to be a dental hygentist at Wake Tech. He came home to RichmondCC and started in the pre-pharmacy program. That’s when the EUSRT program caught his attention. 

“I saw the amount of money that could be made with a two-year degree, and I thought I could go from there and get a job and then get my bachelor’s degree,” Rush said. “But I fell in love with the program after my first class. It really caught my interest. Even though math is not really my strong suit, the math in the program wasn’t overwhelming, and I had a great math instructor at RichmondCC.” 

Rush is the first person in his immediate family to get a college degree.  

“The substation program is a great program, and I talk about it to everyone. I encourage them to do it, but they have to have the motivation to do it,” he said.   

Currently Seeking Motivated Students  

RichmondCC is now enrolling new students into the EUSRT program for the fall semester. Applications can be completed online at www.richmondcc.edu/admissions. There is no cost to apply. For more information or to visit RichmondCC’s substation, contact Program Coordinator Brian Terry at (910) 410-1941 or email cbterry@richmondcc.edu.