Workforce development is a concept that gets a lot of attention today because it implies jobs, employment, sustainable wages and a host of other positive results. It also evokes an image of people sitting in training classes or working in trade apprenticeship programs created through partnerships formed by trade councils, union groups, the government, charitable organizations and private corporations. However, there are also programs funded by private businesses and utilities that include early childhood education programs, elementary school funding for special projects, adult literacy programs and other factors that appear to be completely unrelated to the core mission of the businesses.
Good examples of partnership programs that appear to bring together unlikely organizations are electric companies paying for computers for pre-K children enrolled in the federally subsidized Headstart program. Another unlikely partnership is an energy company funding a children’s dental program sponsored by a charitable organization. Yet, every day, there are new partnerships being formed between powerful utility companies and community organizations, and it has to mean more than simple charity.
Filling the Knowledge Gap
Though some community and government partnerships are clearly good public relations campaigns, there is a larger overriding reason energy companies are engaging, educating and training people of all ages. The reason can be summed up in two words – workforce training. The energy industry is in a state of expansion due to population growth, the expanding adaptation of current systems to more sophisticated technology, and the development of alternative energy sources. At the same time, the ‘baby boomer’ generation has now begun retiring, which is expected to leave a large knowledge gap. In fact, in 2005, the utilities industry had the highest proportion of workers from the baby-boomer generation with three of five workers being between 41 and 59. As much as 40 percent of the electric industry’s workforce is expected to retire in the coming years.
This will create workforce needs that include post-secondary education requirements, specialized training in technological systems and high levels of skills development. The energy companies have one or more goals each time they fund or sponsor a development program.
• Fund charitable work
• Contribute to the development of a future educated and trained workforce
• Train a workforce now to fill current needs
Looking at these goals, it’s easy to understand why energy companies are sponsoring early childhood education as well as adult literacy and workforce training programs. Motivating pre-K and elementary youth to take an interest in school, while also encouraging secondary student interest in preparing for lucrative positions in the electric and alternative energy companies, can create an educated workforce that is able to fill future labor market positions.
Three Good Reasons
Funding charitable work may be the main goal in some cases, but it can actually have two objectives. Electric companies have a social responsibility due to their virtual service monopolies and the fact they are funded by consumer fees and government grants. In addition, utilities impact the environment and thus have a responsibility to contribute to sustainable initiatives either of their own making or developed by others. It’s their duty to give back to the community since the companies benefit from community support.
The second reason electric companies fund programs like early childhood education and are big supporters of local schools is due to the fact that educated youth will become their labor pool in the future. In the coming years, the utility companies, and especially the electric companies, will need a workforce capable of assuming jobs in an innovative broad-based alternative clean energy market. The workforce needs will include researchers, ability to design and develop a sustainable physical infrastructure and 21st century technology knowledge. The youth in school today must be comfortable with using technology and the industry will need more engineers, mathematicians, scientists and computer programmers.
Finally, as older workers retire in the present, there is a need for replacement workers. However, the replacement workforce must also be willing and able to train now for quality jobs in the electric industry and capable of regular skills upgrading. This requires proactive training programs for workers to fills positions at all levels from repair technicians and installers to advanced engineering positions. In addition, current workers need updated skills and specialized training as the United States begins to deploy an upgraded technologically advance smart grid in an effort to modernize the infrastructure in place for electric power provisions. There are numerous large and small innovative programs designed to insure the electric companies have access to a viable workforce and are able to meet the innovation challenges of the future. For example, the Pacific Northwest Center of Excellence for Clean Energy was formed by a partnership between Centralia College in Washington State, and Avista Utilities, Idaho Power and other organizations, including the AFL-CIO and the Veterans Conservation Corps. The Southern California Edison Green Jobs Education Initiative funds green education and job training programs at Southern California community colleges.
Another example is Alabama Power, which has aggressively promoted workforce development. The Alabama Power Yes We Can community engagement campaign in Mobile County is designed to unify business and civic leaders of all socio-economic backgrounds to improve schools, offer programs to help students understand correlations between learning and industry skills and offer literacy and mentoring to students of all backgrounds so they don’t fall behind or drop out.
The giant Con Edison of New York frequently participates in a host of job fairs including those sponsored by the American Association of Blacks in Energy. Missouri electric and natural gas company Ameren partners with the St. Louis Community College to offer an Overhead Line Pre-Apprentice program. The Georgia Power Foundation partners with schools to fund programs that emphasize math and science.
These are just a few of the ways electric companies have worked to ensure they have a prepared future workforce. In many cases, these programs are also blended with diversity initiatives. For example, the community college initiatives are matched with a scholarship programs for minorities and women. This type of program structuring enables the electric companies to pursue multiple goals. In fact, there are unlimited opportunities for minority and women students and Minority and Women Business Enterprises (MWBEs) to contribute to the rapidly changing energy industry.
The initiatives are essential to the country as it pursues energy independency. The National Economic Council is clear that converting to an advanced technology power grid and establishing viable alternative energy sources will take innovative thinking. Encouraging youth and young adults to think innovatively while also giving them the access and opportunities needed to develop essential skills makes perfect sense any way you look at it.