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PCCA Journal|3

rd

Quarter 2015

19

T

he Edison Electric Institute

(EEI) is partnering with a

number of federal govern-

ment agencies and util-

ity industry groups to form the Utility

Industry Workforce Initiative, a multi-

year effort dedicated to facilitating the

recruitment, training, and retention of

exiting service members, veterans, and

their spouses into employment in the

utility industry. According to the Center

for Energy Workforce Development

(CEWD), the electric utility industry will

need to replace almost half of its current

workforce over the next decade.

“Our industry is facing significant

retirements of our existing workforce,

and we are working together to develop

solutions and approaches to identify a

talented, high-skilled, and innovative

industry workforce for the future,” said

EEI President Tom Kuhn. “The leader-

ship abilities, mission focus, commit-

ment to safety, and team orientation that

military service members consistently

demonstrate are exactly the skills our

industry needs in its workers. We are

pleased to work together with our gov-

ernment partners on the Utility Industry

Workforce Initiative with the goal to pro-

vide veterans a path to rewarding energy

careers.”

Other participants in the initiative

include the Departments of Energy,

Defense, Labor, and Veterans Affairs; the

Nuclear Energy Institute; the National

Rural Electric Cooperative Association;

and the American Gas Association.

“Energy is America’s great economic

advantage in the 21st century global

economy, but we’ll need a 21st century

energy infrastructure to keep that advan-

tage, built by a 21st century workforce,”

said U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest

Moniz. “New job-driven training strate-

gies, reflecting a broader range of needed

skills, will be required to meet the chal-

lenges of the future. America’s talented

pool of veterans provides the leaders

our utility industry needs to build a new

energy future.”

The initiative will work to identify

and promote training and credentialing

opportunities for veterans to facilitate

their entry into the utility industry, share

information on trends about exiting mili-

tary members, promote opportunities for

immediate recruitment of exiting service

members, and assess how military train-

ing requirements align with job require-

ments throughout the utility industry.

It will also work to improve existing

tools that match service members and

veterans with employment opportunities

in the utility industry.

This new initiative complements the

Troops to Energy Jobs program, which

was launched in 2011 by CEWD, in

partnership with EEI and its member

companies. Troops to Energy Jobs works

to make it easier for veterans to translate

their skills and training, accelerate the

time it takes to get required credentials

or degrees, create a military-friendly

environment within companies, and

increase the number of veterans who are

recruited, hired, and trained in the utility

industry.

POWER NEWS

Continued on page 20

New Initiative Aims to Drive Military

Veterans to Utility Industry Jobs

Poll: Energy and Infrastructure

Will Play a Key Role in 2016 Election

R

ecent polling conducted for Consumer Energy

Alliance (CEA) continues to examine what

role the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, Keystone XL

Pipeline, offshore production, and other energy

issues could play in the 2016 presidential election. And as

echoed in recent poll results from Iowa, New Hampshire, and

South Carolina, voters in Virginia, North Carolina, and West

Virginia reinforced that energy policy will be an important

issue when they cast their votes for president next fall.

Key findings:

• Majorities of voters in North Carolina, Virginia, and West

Virginia have heard about the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and

support it.

• Across states, more than 80 percent of voters say energy

will be a significant factor on how they vote.

• Presidential candidates will need to take a strong stance on