ComEd teams up with YMCA of Metro Chicago for new trades-focused high school training program
With skilled trades ever in need of fresh workers, ComEd and YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago have launched a new summer job training program to provide a three-week path for high school juniors and seniors interested in associated training.
The CONSTRUCT Youth Academy is a paid experience, so it’s not an extension of school in the traditional sense. While applications are already being taken and will continue to be through June 24, 2023, classes will not begin sessions until July. When they do, ComEd said, it will help increase access to job training programs and prepare more residents for jobs in Illinois’ growing energy sector – a sector that could add as many as 150,000 new jobs by 2050.
“To ensure a pipeline of diverse, skilled, and local talent that will power the clean energy transformation in Illinois, ComEd is committed to expanding proven job training programs to reach more young people across our communities,” Louie Binswanger, SVP of governmental and regulatory affairs at ComEd, said. “In partnership with the YMCA of Metro Chicago, the CONSTRUCT Youth Academy expands on the impact of our CONSTRUCT Infrastructure Academy, focusing on helping more young people from our communities pursue good-paying careers in the trades. Through this program, local students will learn firsthand about how they can play a role in addressing climate change and creating a cleaner energy future.”
The YMCA will help ComEd to recruit and interview students interested in CONSTRUCT. It will also host classroom sessions at its South Side location three times a week, providing CTA passes for participants traveling there. Additionally, ComEd will offer field trips meant to expose students to career opportunities in the energy sector, such as direct, physical work on the grid and other entry-level positions.
“Equipping young people with knowledge and connections through experiences like the CONSTRUCT Youth Academy not only empowers them to discover and explore new career possibilities, it also activates a longer runway to prepare for post-graduation life,” Dorri McWhorter, president & CEO of YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago, said. “The seeds that ComEd, the Y, and our partners are planting through this program will grow into lifelong opportunities for this inaugural youth cohort and, ultimately, the communities we serve.”
This new academy builds on the existing CONSTRUCT Infrastructure Academy, another ComEd workforce development program meant to help residents train for craft roles in the utilities and construction fields. So far, more than 800 residents have graduated from that program, with a more than 70 percent job placement rate.
A stipend associated with CONSTRUCT will be provided to students only after completion of the program.
