A utility company partners with corrections, teaching the incarcerated to trim trees around power lines in response to rising demand.

Scott Steffes is serving time at Michigan’s Parnall Correctional Facility, but that will not keep him from moving up when he is released. He is part of a $70 million program at Parnall’s Vocational Village that trains inmates to manage tree trimming for Detroit-based DTE Energy, according to the Associated Press.
“I didn’t know what I was to do upon my release. I didn’t know where my life was headed,” said Steffes.
With this program, Steffes and others receive training that will give them a career when they get out. They will eventually have the opportunity to earn between $70,000 and $120,000 per year.
A DTE Energy spokesperson stated that fallen trees and branches account for 70% of power outages, so there is a big demand for tree trimmers.
“We still need a ton of tree trimmers. Trees, they’re constantly growing,” said Terry Lockhart, a manager at DTE Energy.
A recent powerful storm packing winds more than 70 mph downed trees, branches and electrical lines. This caused power outages for more than 400,000 homes and businesses in Michigan.
Nearly a million customers lost power the previous year due to these storms. This program is designed to prevent these types of outages, according to AP.
When Steffes and the other members of this vocational village training group leave prison, they will enter DTE’s Training Academy. They will receive a daily wage of $50 for the first two weeks and $100 for the remaining five weeks, said the story.
Their starting pay is $17.50 and increases to $32 per hour in two and one-half years, when they reach journeyman status. They are also provided union benefits and lots of overtime.
“I’ve never made this much money and I’ve never had a career,” said Sean Anderson, a former trainee of the program.
Jeffrey Gunnells was paroled last year after graduating from the program at Parnall. He is now an instructor.
“You have guys that are so grateful for an opportunity and they are hungry to get out here and work and contribute to the wellbeing of their families and their communities, and basically redeem themselves,” said Gunnells.
