FirstEnergy grant will help train
Pennsylvania's next generation of
diverse utility workers
GREENSBURG, Pa., Feb. 9, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) has awarded an
$85,000 grant to the Energy
Innovation Center Institute (EICI) to assist with its efforts to
recruit, train and prepare diverse candidates from economically
distressed Pennsylvania
communities for apprenticeships and similar programs offered by
electric, natural gas, communication and water utilities throughout
the state.
FirstEnergy's corporate grant will supplement EICI resources for
computers, training equipment, training stipends and curriculum
development to help diverse candidates to be ready to complete a
utility apprenticeship program if selected. The grant aligns with
FirstEnergy's core value of championing a diverse, equitable and
inclusive workplace where different perspectives, experiences and
backgrounds are welcomed.
Utilities face the challenge of backfilling their rapidly aging
workforces with employees representative of the demographics of
their service areas, often struggling to recruit, vet and train
diverse candidates who are ready for entry into apprenticeship
programs. Pittsburgh-headquartered
EICI helps address this challenge through its Infrastructure
Academy (IA), an innovative critical infrastructure and
utility-workforce recruiting and training initiative to position
minority candidates for successful utility careers. Candidates are
subject to rigorous screening and training for selection to highly
competitive apprenticeship and training programs.
Scott Wyman, President of
FirstEnergy's Pennsylvania Operations: "The need for skilled
utility workers across our Pennsylvania service area continues as our
most experienced employees retire. We are pleased to provide
funding to help the Infrastructure Academy establish a pool of
diverse candidates ready to enter apprenticeship and job-training
programs offered by FirstEnergy and other utility companies. It is
crucial to have a workforce that reflects the communities it serves
and takes pride in the work it does."
EICI works with multiple utilities to connect stranded talent in
disadvantaged communities with skills-based jobs around them
through IA. The curriculum includes:
- Strategies to navigate the highly competitive climbing programs
necessary to be admitted into apprenticeships.
- Life skills needed for on-the-job success, including effective
communication and conflict resolution.
- Training and testing on safety, knot tying and using the tools
of the trade.
EICI operates training facilities in southwestern and eastern
Pennsylvania and is expanding its
reach throughout the state. Five regulated utility partners with
service areas in seven states participate in IA, and the institute
expects to add more companies in coming months.
Rich DiClaudio, President and
CEO of the EICI: "We are excited to have FirstEnergy join our
growing group of utility and infrastructure employer partners.
FirstEnergy's grant provides meaningful support to advance the
programming of the Infrastructure Academy and solve the growing
skills-based human capital problem in the industry. FirstEnergy and
our other utility partners are committed to taking tangible steps
to ensure a well-trained, effective, safe and diverse workforce
reflective of the service areas in which they operate."
Approximately 3,700 of EICI's graduates are employed, including
many in the utility and critical infrastructure industries in
Pennsylvania and throughout the
Appalachian region. Nearly 90% of its graduates are people of color
who average 29 years old. About 86% of its graduates have received
employment with a six-month retention rate of 74%.
Founded in 2016, EICI is an innovative and rapidly scaling
501c3 organization designed to provide skills-based workforce
training for people from disadvantaged communities, veterans
and others with barriers to workforce entry, as well as incumbent
worker upskilling and training. The EICI advises companies,
regulators and governing bodies on various aspects of the clean
energy transition and offers effective community benefits plans and
Justice40 offerings for many partner organizations doing business
with federal and state governments.
FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and
operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form
one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems,
serving more than six million 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.
Visit FirstEnergy online at firstenergycorp.com and
follow FirstEnergy on X, formerly known as Twitter,
@FirstEnergyCorp.
Editor's Note: Photos of FirstEnergy presenting a
grant check to the Energy Innovation Center Institute and touring
the facility are available for download on Flikr.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.