Between the retirement of baby boomers and the need to build and replace the nation’s electrical infrastructure, the demand for power line workers is surging, with an expected 14 percent growth rate by 2026.

The next generation of workers is training in a pole barn and field of de-energized power poles inside the Camp Rilea Armed Forces Training Center.

The Vocational Outside Line Training Academy, sponsored by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and National Electrical Contractors Association, was started in 2006 to increase the pool of qualified electrical workers, said Banjo Reed, director of the academy.

“With the baby boomers retiring, there’s going to be a huge need for qualified electrical workers,” Reed said, adding Camp Rilea is one of between 20 and 30 industry sponsored training locations throughout the U.S.

The academy, a precursor to a paid apprenticeship with a union, offers three $8,500, 10-week programs a year for 30 students, mainly pulling from the Pacific Northwest. The students spend four days a week at Camp Rilea learning about electrical systems, equipment, climbing utility poles and doing the job safely. Many bring trailers and stay at Kampers West RV Park in Warrenton.

Tyler McMahan, from Battle Ground, Washington, heard about the training from his dad’s friend, whose sons went through the program, and was urged to apply by his aunt.

“I’ve always been kind of scared of heights, and I wanted to get over it,” McMahan said. “And it was really interesting.”

After his completion of the academy this week, McMahan and other students will begin applying with local unions for an apprenticeship. The fees for the course and the costs of staying on the North Coast can quickly pay off for those who land one, starting at an average wage of around $30 an hour.

About 80 percent of apprentice applicants now come through one of the line schools, Reed said. They return periodically to Camp Rilea for shorter camps to hone their skills.

Apprentices must amass 7,000 hours of on-the-job experience to become a journeyman electrical line worker. But even an entry-level journeyman can start at more than $50 an hour.

There were nearly 121,000 people building and maintaining electrical lines in 2016, with 14 percent growth expected over the next decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The demand is driven by new construction in a recovering economy and maintenance projects utilities are now taking on after the Great Recession.

“A lot of systems have been built in the early 1950s, and we’re at the state of replacing them,” said Chris Marlowe, assistant director of the academy.

Utilities are also in need of more workers to help convert the nation’s energy grid from fossil fuels to more renewable energy sources, said Travis Eri, a business manager for the union’s local chapter.

“The workload is going up, but the number of people coming compared to the number of people going out, we’re not gaining ground,” Eri said. “We’re definitely in an environment where (for) the work that’s out there, there could be more people.”