Company is transitioning to a new, paid
apprentice program
MORRISTOWN, N.J., July 5, 2023
/PRNewswire/ -- Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L), a
subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), has hired 29 graduates
of its Power Systems Institute (PSI), a two-year educational
program that helps prepare the next generation of line and
substation workers for FirstEnergy's 10 electric companies. This
will be one of the last graduating classes of PSI as the company
transitions to a new, paid apprentice program to best meet the
needs of future line and substation personnel.
The new employees include 18 line workers and 11 substation
electricians who completed the PSI training programs at
Brookdale Community College in
Lincroft and Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg.
"These men and women have dedicated themselves to their
education, and we look forward to these graduates joining our
workforce and making lives brighter in the communities we serve,"
said Jim Fakult, president of
FirstEnergy's New Jersey
operations.
The new line workers and their hometowns are:
- Mark Amatetti, Califon
- Braden Bowers, Tatamy (PA)
- David Cross, Bangor (PA)
- Dylan Deppe, Brick
- Pedro Diaz, Neptune
- Kevin Edwards, Aberdeen
- Ashton Escamilla, Whitehouse Station
- Patrick Filippini, Boonton
- Jordan Flores, Dover
- John Fuino, Brick
- Travis Lane, New Egypt
- Paul Mazzella, Trenton
- Kyle Mesce, Summit
- Derek Mooney, Parsippany-Troy
Hills
- Vincent Ribinsky, Jr.,
Bayville
- Nicholas Rosikiewicz,
Franklin Park
- Bryan Thompson, Ledgewood
- Aaron Yarbrough, Newark
The new substation employees and their hometowns are:
- Rodney Burke, Barnegat
- Matthew Contos, Brick
- Logan DeCanio, Pittstown
- Ron Horton, Trenton
- Eugene Kaufmann, Howell
- Michael Mahan, Ocean
- Ryan Storm, Pen Argyl (PA)
- Matthew Trezza, Morganville
- John Velazquez-Chiusolo,
Wall
- Matthew Wojciechowski,
Sayreville
- Omar Xochipa, Bethlehem (PA)
All the graduates will be assigned to line and substation shops
across JCP&L's service area. Their work assignments will
rotate as part of the training program.
PSI students split time between classes at the two colleges and
JCP&L training facilities in Farmingdale and Philipsburg. Since the program's inception,
FirstEnergy has hired more than 2,800 line and substation personnel
who completed PSI programs in New
Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland and West
Virginia.
To help address the continuing need for new line workers,
FirstEnergy is transitioning to a paid apprentice program that will
consist of more on-the-job training with seasoned bargaining unit
employees, offer opportunities for relationship-building with local
department personnel from the outset of the training program and
continue with classroom requirements to gain a deeper understanding
of the electric industry.
"PSI has served us well for many years, and we believe an
apprenticeship program is more in step with today's competitive
labor market and is being successfully utilized by a number of our
peer electric companies," said Fakult.
JCP&L serves 1.1 million customers in the counties of
Burlington, Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union
and Warren. Follow JCP&L on
Twitter @JCP_L, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JCPandL or online
at www.jcp-l.com.
FirstEnergy Corp. is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability
and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies
form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems,
serving customers in Ohio,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West
Virginia, Maryland and
New York. The company's
transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of
transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic
regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at
www.firstenergycorp.com and on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp.
Editor's Note: Photos of FirstEnergy's Power
Systems Institute training program are available for download on
Flickr.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.