In this episode of the T&D World Line Life Podcast, Host Amy Fischbach interviews Zane Stephenson, a student in the lineman training program at Metropolitan Community College–Kansas City. Zane shares his training experiences, early memories of his grandfather's time in the trade and what drew him to line work.

The conversation highlights safety lessons learned at the International Lineman's Rodeo's Safety and Training Conference and Zane’s future plans, including contractor apprenticeship, storm response and his motivation to give back to his family.

In the electric utility industry, lineworkers often retire with years of experience and take that knowledge with them. Eversource discovered a way to bridge the knowledge gap by overhauling its electric and gas training using multimodal digital tools, e-books and mobile apps. This episode of the Line Life Podcast features a narrated version of the article "Eversource Advances Workforce Training" from the November 2025 field-focused Electric Utility Operations section of T&D World magazine.

This audio story outlines the utility's plan to deploy roughly 85 custom training applications by 2026–27 across core programs like overhead and underground electric, substations, gas maintenance, corrosion and field communications. The episode highlights how tablet-delivered, interactive content preserves institutional knowledge, supports different learning styles and improves safety through virtual practice. It also provides scalable, just-in-time training to meet growing workforce demands and close the experience gap.

For more information, read the article on T&D World's website.

This episode of the Line Life Podcast features Susan Blaser, a 2020 International Linemen Hall of Fame inductee and the first female journeyman lineworker in Missouri. Line Life Podcast Host Amy Fischbach interviews Susan about her career in the field, her role training students at Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City and her work promoting safety and inclusion in the line trade.

Topics include on-the-job safety (hydration, heat awareness and best practices), bringing students to the International Linemen’s Rodeo for hands-on learning, encouraging more women to enter the trade and how new tools like drones and helicopters are changing line work.

Susan also shares personal highlights, including her daughter Randi’s path as a journeyman lineman at Ameren Illinois, her decades of field and teaching experience and the importance of mentorship and community in sustaining the profession.