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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