Professional Development

See Calendar for dates and to register online, or contact Greg McKoy, 478-992-6132.

Power Line Design & Staking Certification Program

Georgia EMC conducts the Power Line and Design Certification Program which consists of three consecutive levels.

• (+) Level I - Four-day session for technicians with five years experience or less

Participants gain a strong foundation necessary to help them advance in the field of line design and staking.

Upon completion of Level I, participants will be able to easily complete overhead and underground service conductor sizing, residential transformer sizing, and short single-phase line extensions.

Topics covered include: liability issues, safety equipment, communication skills/easement acquisition, power system overview, mapping and drafting techniques, work order flow, line equipment identification, RUS specifications and assemblies, and basic NESC requirements.

• (+) Level II - Four-day session for technicians with a minimum of two years experience

Participants will build on the foundation created in Level I.

Upon completion of Level II, participants will be able to easily complete the layout and design of most overhead and underground projects, understand an utilize NESC and RUS design criteria, evaluate and design joint use facilities, and calculate the mechanical loading effects of line design.

Topics covered include: intermediate NESC requirements and issues, RUS design standards and criteria, mechanics of pole line design, permitting requirements for Government agencies, joint use of facilities considerations, use of advanced tools and equipment for field staking.

• (+) Level III - Four-day session for technicians with a minimum of two years of line design experience

In Level III of this three-tiered certification program, participants will build on the foundation created in Level II. Level III study is designed to accommodate technicians with a minimum of two years of line design experience. We strongly receommend recommend Level I and Level II certification before entering.

After completion, participants will be able to stake complex jobs such as long lake and interstate crossings, lines that have very limited space to be built with many clearance concerns and lines that require extra large conductors.

In addition, after completion, participants should also be able to read and design DOT projects, class poles, adjust hardware to accommodate extra large conductors, figure line separation and wind blowout, and estimate sag on uneven terrain.

University of Georgia Management Development Program

A textbook, "Developing Management Skills", by David A. Whetten and Kim S. Cameron, provides the general framework for discussion. This textbook is designed on a skill development model that includes assessments, analyses, practice, and applications for each major topical area. Instructors use facilitated learning techniques making active class participation an important course element. Participants are also required to complete surveys and other testing instruments, read text assignments, engage in class activities, and contribute to discussions.

• (+) Core Leadership Skills Part I

Eight day format (42 classroom contact hours plus one personal coaching session and assigned outside reading.)

Content emphasizes the development of self awareness and personal improvement by focusing on interpersonal skills. Theory looks at leadership, communication (including listening), individual differences, and values.

Topics: Critical Role of Management Skills, Developing Self Awareness, Managing Personal Stress, Solving Problems Analytically and Creatively, and Coaching, Counseling and Supportive Communication

Skill development focuses on personality preferences, supportive communication, problem solving, coaching and counseling, and goal setting. Leadership skills will be enhanced through increased self awareness.

Project component involves the development of a comprehensive Personal Improvement Plan.

• (+) Core Leadership Skills Part II

Eight day format (42 classroom contact hours plus one personal coaching session and assigned outside reading).

(NOTE: Part One is a prerequisite for Part Two).

Content focuses on an in-depth study of the theories and practice of group development and dynamics and the impact of different personality styles and needs on group behavior.

Topics: Power and Influence, Ethics, Motivation, Conflict, Team and Group Dynamics.

Skill Development focuses on utilizing power effectively, empowering and delegating, managing conflict, and leading effective teams. Leadership skills will be further enhanced through increased understanding of group dynamics.

Project Component involves the class working as a group to plan and implement a community improvement project. This activity should demonstrate skills learned in class. The class also discusses lessons learned from the project that can be applied to their organization.

• (+) Core Management Skills Part III

Nine day format (42 classroom contact hours plus two personal coaching sessions and assigned outside reading)

(NOTE: Parts One and Two are prerequisites for Part Three).

Content focuses on the core management skills related to process improvement.

Topics: Measuring Operational Performance, Problem Definition, Information Gathering, and Oral & Written Presentations.

Skill Development focuses on conducting effective interviews, conducting needs assessments, preparing cost analyses, developing a process improvement plan, and effective public speaking.

Project Component involves the development of a written proposal to introduce a positive measurable change in your organization. After receiving upper management approval, implementation of the project proceeds throughout the duration of the class. Project presentation and final written report are required for successful completion of the program. Management skills will be enhanced as participants undertake an organizational process improvement through the initiation, development, implementation, and presentation process.

Business Writing

(+) University of Georgia Non-Administrative Employee's Guide to Business Writing Two-Day Workshop

Customer Service

This series is conducted by Debra Ballard, The Ballard Group, and is designed for any employee who has customer contact. Program content is suitable for the new employee as well as the more seasoned employee who may benefit from refresher training.

• (+) Certified Customer Service Specialist - Four-day Series

Program topics include: the importance of quality service, a customer service provider's personal effectiveness, customer service face-to-face, telephone service skills, sales skills, dealing successfully with difficult or dissatisfied customers.

Energy Audit Program Four-day Series

This program is conducted by Continuum Education and Training, and is designed to enhance the knowledge, performance, and competence of employees. Course curriculum includes:

• (+) Helping Customers Conserve Energy - One-day session

This session will provide you with the tools to deal with challenging situations in a positive manner. During the class you will learn how to: calculate the energy cooling usage of heat pumps and air conditioners, demonstrate the heating energy differences between heat pumps, electric furnaces and space heaters, measure energy usage at the meter with a stopwatch and calculator, learn which are the main sources of energy consumption in a consumer's home, diagnose problems that may not be obvious to the consumer, and the basic steps of calculating energy usage for different consumer appliances. Participants will receive a chart that provides the average energy usage of consumer appliances and simple formulas to calculate energy usage.

• (+) Conducting Effective Residential Energy Audits - One-day session

This session is designed for any utility employee that works with consumers advising them on energy efficient choices. The course will combine classroom and field experience to give attendees an overall understanding of how to conduct an energy audit. Common terminology will be reviewed as well as techniques to be used the audit the consumer's home. Some of the highlights to be covered are: preparing background information before going to the consumer's home, preparing the consumer for the audit experience, how to ask questions to get the most information from the consumer, preparing a field report for the consumer by using a template, and explaining how lifestyle choices impact the energy bill.

• (+) Conducting Effective C&I Energy Audits - One-day session

This two-day hands on course will provide attendees well-defined procedures for conducting commercial and industrial (C&I) energy audits as part of their key accounts program. Among the topics to be discussed include analyzing the customer's power bill, evaluating the customer's operating processes, assessing alternatives to conserving energy usage, deploying mathematical methods of evaluating alternatives capital (e.g. present-worth analysis, cost/benefit ratio, etc.), and preparing technical summaries and reports of results.

• (+) Understanding Power Quality - One-day session

The purpose of this course is to provide electric distributors and users of electric power an overview power quality issues. It addresses the continuous increasing demands and needs for improved power quality of electric loads with a discussion of the technical and economic implications of power quality problems. Course topics include but are not limited to the following: characteristics of power quality, power quality standards, solutions, and tools, surveys, etc.

Utility Accounting Program - Five-day Series

This five-day program is conducted by Continuum Education and Training, is designed to enhance the knowledge, performance, and competence of accounting employees. Course curriculum includes:

• (+) Fundamentals of Electric Utility Accounting - Two-day session

This course covers the fundamentals of utility accounting for new electric utility accountants and those involved in related jobs that have need to understand how accounting affects other aspects of the business. This course will cover the basics of electric utility operations and terminology, and will cover the following accounting topics: Using a prescribed uniform system of accounts (e.g., FERC or RUS), cash versus accrual accounting, work order systems for capitalizing self-constructed plant, the general ledger and subsidiary ledgers, the four accounting cycles (revenue, collections, disbursements, and payroll).

• (+) Advanced Topics in Utility Accounting - One-day session)

This course covers in more detail some of the topics in the fundamentals course, including work order systems, financial statement accounting, financial planning, cost of service and rate design, activity-based accounting, capital credits, investment strategies, debt portfolio management, internal control procedures, and other similar topics.

• (+) Budgeting and Financial Analysis - One-day session

This course covers the procedures necessary to prepare annual capital and expense budgets for electric utilities. The concepts of zero based budgeting, activity based budgeting, and extrapolation budgeting will be discussed. For the capital budgeting, commonly used methods to evaluate alternative capital projects will be discussed including present-value (worth) analysis, discounted cash flow, annual cost, payback periods, and cost-benefit ratios. In the expense budget, the use of operating ratios, such as the quick ratio, plant-revenue ratio, equity, TIER and DSC will also be discussed. Actual capital and expense budgets will be utilized in the course and budget spreadsheets will be given to attendees.

• (+) Utility Cost of Service Analysis and Conducting a Profitability Analysis - One-day session

This course covers the cost of service (COS) studies used by electric utilities to determine whether their rates are recovering costs fairly and equitably among all rate classes. The COS study allocates plant and expenses in accordance with generally accepted industry practices and regulatory guidelines to determine the appropriate allocation of rate base investments and operating costs to the various consumer rate classes. Based on those allocations, a revenue requirement by rate class can be computed, and rate designs can be determined. Cost of service studies are performed in either if two ways: the traditional, embedded cost format or the unbundled format. Unbundled formats are intended to assist the utility to better understand its costs as it prepares for restructuring of the electric industry. In addition, this course provides the tools necessary to conduct an in-depth profitability analysis for each electric rate class. Topics include cost of service studies (both embedded and unbundled), basic rate design, marginal and incremental rates, rate of return regulation, and performance based rates.