Michigan utilities join forces to push energy career importance this week
The fourth annual Careers in Energy Week has come to Michigan, and utilities such as DTE Energy, Consumers Energy and the Lansing Board of Water & Light are taking the opportunity to promote their industry’s possibilities.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder officially declared Oct. 16-20 Careers in Energy week for the state, looking to highlight the energy industry to potential job seekers. Yet for utilities, this is a current, focused push of an already established effort — and one that extends not merely to a generation of new workers, but students as well.
“People don’t often think of (careers in) electricity or natural gas, even though those are the things that power homes and businesses,” Brian Wheeler, senior public information director for Consumer’s Energy, said in an interview with Daily Energy Insider. “So we need to build awareness. We’re going to be seeing a lot of turnover in coming years in our industry. As much as half of our workforce could retire in the next decade. We have a need to attract smart, talented people to work for us. It’s part of the bigger picture.”
Presently, the Michigan Workforce Development Agency estimates energy jobs will grow by 9 percent between now and 2024, but the looming Baby Boomer retirements leave excess room for industry shakeup. More than 99,000 Michigan residents are currently employed in energy-related positions. Further, Michigan’s energy companies have hired more than 2,500 employees since the beginning of last year.
If the economy continues to improve, growth in labor needs tend to follow, so those numbers could increase even further.
“There is incredible demand for skilled trade professionals in Michigan’s energy industry,” Tracy DiSanto, DTE Energy manager for Workforce Planning and Analytics, and co-chair of the Michigan Energy Workforce Development Consortium (MEWDC), said in a statement. “Yet many students aren’t exposed to the high-potential and rewarding career options our industry offers.”
To that end, DTE Energy, Consumers Energy and the Lansing Board of Water & Light have offered nearly 1,000 internship and co-op jobs for high school and college students to help build interest. They maintain partnerships and collaborations with colleges like Michigan State University. This week, they are also providing tours and hands-on working opportunities for high schoolers at their facilities, as well as launching the state’s first ever welding competition to reward victorious high schoolers with cash prizes and their schools with new welding machines.
They are also preparing for the future by promoting science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) curriculums.
“I think one thing you find that has been an area of interest has been STEM,” Wheeler said. “We worked a lot to promote STEM learning. To promote things like robotics. The next generation of jobs in our industry will involve a lot of new skills and technologies. We’ve tried to make it clear there are a lot of jobs available within our company, and real opportunity for ingenuity. These are jobs that will really challenge people.”
At Consumers Energy, the company has also stressed working with military veterans, an initiative that has drawn a great deal of support. As with younger students, this potential job pool doesn’t always come with the necessary expertise the company is looking for, but there are ways around that. The desire for service plays a big role, according to Wheeler, and a specialized natural gas boot camp can fill in the knowledge gaps to teach veterans the skills they need to become qualified for those positions.
Essentially, this week, and efforts at large, are about emphasizing a diversity of approaches, and showing off just how many paths the energy industry offers.
“There is no single path into the business — it’s diverse,” Wheeler said. “We have enough needs that if we can find people interested in doing the work, we can provide opportunities.”
All of this is being undertaken alongside the Michigan Energy Workforce Development Consortium, a partnership of more than 50 organizations focused on building and sustaining the state’s energy industry.
