Valuable Training for Power Operations Maintenance Staff
La formation s’est échelonnée sur trois jours, dont deux passées en classe et une dernière lors de laquelle les participants ont eu accès à quatre stations d’essais qui ont rendu les apprentissages concrets.
The technical staff of the region’s high-voltage substations and hydropower plants recently received training in the maintenance, diagnosis and measurement on high-voltage switchgear. A team made up of Hugo Simard, Electrical Engineer, Marc Lefebvre, Electrician, Karine Tremblay, from the training department, and Frédéric Tremblay, Supervisor at the Chute-à-Caron power station, worked together to add a practical component to the training, which proved to be rewarding both in terms of technical information sharing and knowledge transfer.
“Many electricians, maintenance technicians and electrical engineers are new to the job. Due to the labour shortage, we’re seeing a loss of expertise. The decision to include a practical part in the training was aimed at bridging this knowledge gap,” explains Hugo Simard, Electrical Engineer, Strategic Expertise Group, Asset Management.
The training took place over three days, two of which were spent in the classroom. At the end of the course, participants were given access to four test stations so they could put what they had learned into practice.
Participants benefited from the expertise of Mr. Long Pong (left), an expert in high-voltage switchgear testing who conducts the training every year. On the right, Marc Lefebvre, Electrician and Trainer, Chute-à-Caron power station.
“The practical part allowed them to familiarise themselves with our measurements, learn how to use the tools and understand the small details that not all people working in substations necessarily have to deal with. They were able to make links between what happens in the field and what happens afterwards in terms of analysing and monitoring the results,” explains Marc Lefebvre, Electrician and Trainer at Chute-à-Caron power station.
Thirty-two participants received training by the two colleagues and benefited from the expertise of Mr. Long Pong, an expert in high-voltage switchgear testing, who conducts the training every year.
“This was a great review for the team! The training was a success because people were able to ask questions. Some people who were not familiar with the equipment were able to touch it and see it being tested. What came out of the training was useful from a practical learning point of view,” explain Simard and Lefebvre.
This experience was also an opportunity to share with the regional plants various internal safety procedures and protocols developed by Power Operations.
For many, the training was a chance to meet new colleagues and visit the Chute-à-Caron power station facilities.
Given the benefits of this recent training, the team is already thinking about how to improve next year’s training.
“The training department organised and planned all the speakers and the training site for the theoretical part, and the Chute-à-Caron team invested time and effort in organising four different laboratories for all the participants. Each of the sites freed up resources for training, which was also a challenge. It was a team effort,” concludes Simard.
