CAIRO — Representatives from several local energy industry organizations hosted an informational exposition for students Thursday at the Grady Cultural Center.

Hosted by the Center for Lineworker Instruction, Mentorship and Basics (CLIMB), the event allowed students to learn about careers in the energy industry and how to get started on the path to becoming a lineworker.

Todd Gainous, head of the Cairo High School College and Career Academy, estimated that nearly 200 students from CHS and 10 other nearby school systems took part in the exposition Thursday.

The event was all part of an effort to generate interest for a new program beginning this fall at the College and Career Academy.

Gainous said energy industry representatives had approached him in September with the idea of creating a new lineworker curriculum at CHS. The industry officials said south Georgia is currently experiencing a shortage of lineworkers, and suggested instituting a new course that would ensure students would come out of high school trained and prepared to jump into the job.

That’s the whole idea of the College and Career Academy, Gainous said.

“What we’re trying to do is get programs in place at the high school that train our kids for entry-level positions where the needs are in our area so that those kids can find valuable work at home and not have to drive to Tallahassee or drive to Albany or drive to Thomasville,” he said. “We want to keep out kids here if we can. We’ve got to educate them about the opportunities that are out there, and this is a big opportunity for them.”

The new dual-enrollment program will begin this fall at the Southern Regional Technical College campus in Cairo.

Southern Regional also will offer the course as part of its regular selection of programs, Gainous said. Other schools in the region were invited to Thursday’s event because Southern Regional’s footprint covers those areas.

As school officials began crafting the program, industry representatives expressed interest in holding an exhibition to educate students about what being a lineworker would entail.

“Most people think it’s just the bucket trucks, out working on the lines,” Gainous said. “It’s so much more than that.”

Thursday’s event featured hands-on demonstrations, games and information from area employers including Oglethorpe Power, Georgia Transmission Corporation, Pike Corporation, Green Power EMC, Grady EMC, Storm Services and the City of Cairo.

Gainous said he can see the exposition becoming an annual event.

“Some of the vendors are already talking about doing this again next year,” he said.