Katy ISD seniors who want a paycheck and a career waiting at graduation now have a new option: learning to locate underground electric and gas lines for the nation's largest utility locating company.
The district is launching an Underground Utility Location program this fall at its Miller Career & Technology Center campus on Katyland Drive, in partnership with USIC (United States Infrastructure Corp.). It's the company's first high school program in Texas and the district's newest workforce-entry CTE pathway.
Trustees approved the program at their Dec. 8, 2025, board meeting after assistant superintendent of teaching and learning Sanée Bell presented it at a November work study session. Bell told trustees the district prioritizes CTE pathways "where AI cannot replace the work," according to Community Impact, citing utility workers and construction trades needed for large-scale development across Texas.
What students will learn
The program uses USIC's national CTE curriculum, which combines classroom instruction, virtual reality simulation and hands-on field training. Students learn to locate and map underground electric and natural gas lines using industry-standard equipment, with coursework covering safety protocols, damage prevention and problem-solving.
The course is worth 4.0 credits and meets three class periods per day, according to the district's 2026-27 course catalog. It's open to 12th-graders only.
Students who complete the program are fully qualified to work as utility locators for USIC or elsewhere in the industry. According to USIC's website, students can qualify for part-time work before graduating and receive a company work truck. Graduates who meet eligibility requirements are offered a relocation benefit to any location in USIC's network across all 48 contiguous states.
A growing trades pipeline
The program joins Katy ISD's other workforce-entry CTE pathways at Miller, including the Commercial Driver's License program, Texas Real Estate Sales Agent certification and the Water and Wastewater Operator program launched in fall 2025 with Inframark, according to Katy Magazine.
Bell told trustees in November 2025 that the district plans to integrate the utility location program with its CDL pathway in a future phase, since locators need to drive work vehicles to job sites.
"We have to prepare them for what they're going to be walking into," Bell said at the November 2025 board work study meeting. "It does no good to prepare students for things that we did when we entered the world of work."
More than 31,500 Katy ISD students enrolled in CTE courses during the 2025-26 school year across more than 130 offerings. The board voted in August 2025 to expand the Miller Career and Technology Center by 2027 to keep pace with demand.
USIC launched its CTE program nationally in 2021 and has hired 26 graduates from partner schools in Indiana, New York and Oklahoma. Katy ISD is the company's first Texas partner.
How to enroll
Katy ISD held a program demonstration for seniors July 16 at Miller Career & Technology Center. The first day of school is Wednesday, Aug. 12. There is no tuition for Miller CTE programs, though some require fees for supplies or a uniform. Students split their day between their home campus and the CTE center, with district bus transportation provided.
Families seeking enrollment details can visit mctc.katyisd.org or contact the CTE office at [email protected] or (281) 396-2633.
