ComEd launches Power Up Academy training program
ComEd is launching a career training program to build a diverse pipeline of technical talent to support the clean energy transition in Illinois.
The company’s new Power Up Academy — a collaboration with workforce partner Revolution Workshop – is recruiting for a 10-week training program to prepare residents for entry-level technical roles that support engineering teams. It is designed to expand opportunities for area men and women to enter in-demand technical roles in the energy sector, without a college degree.
“ComEd’s technical team helps deliver best-in-the-nation reliability, creates solutions to improve customer experience and lower costs, and designs the modern infrastructure needed to support today’s changing electricity demands, including the increasing adoption of technologies like solar panels and electric vehicles,” Michelle Blaise, SVP of Technical Services at ComEd, said. “The new Power Up Academy is designed to expand the skilled and diverse talent pipeline we need to power today’s grid into tomorrow, while helping to remove barriers to local, good-paying career opportunities that will be created by the clean energy transition.”
The program aims to scale the energy workforce to meet a sharp demand for talent needed to take on new clean energy jobs. As many as 150,000 new clean energy jobs are expected to be created in Illinois by 2050 to support the clean energy transition. ComEd will leverage Revolution Workshop and its connections with the community to recruit diverse, local candidates for the program, which is expected to start in September.
“Revolution Workshop is excited to join ComEd and its Engineering partners for the Power Up Academy program this fall,” Manny Rodriguez, founder and executive director of Revolution Workshop, said. “This partnership allows us to develop a new career pathway for our trainees/graduates that desire an opportunity into the professional side of construction. Developing these pathways for our communities is critical to breaking the cycles of poverty and provide real economic mobility.”
This program will train local residents for entry-level technical roles, including design techs, engineering associates, project coordinators and more. These roles perform a number of functions, including the development of construction drawings and material requirements for projects associated with utility infrastructure installation, removal or modification. These roles also support field engineering teams, providing engineering designs and supporting project managers.
Those who complete the program will have the opportunity to apply for jobs at ComEd, as well as with engineering firms sponsoring the program, including Burns & McDonnell, HBK Engineering, KDM Engineering, Milhouse, Primera Engineers, V3 Companies, and Sargent & Lundy.
ComEd and the co-sponsoring engineering firms developed program curriculum in partnership with various organizations, including Revolution Workshop and HACIA.
“The need for technical talent – drafters, designers, and engineers – in our industry has never been greater,” Erin Inman, president and CEO of Primera Engineers, said. “We’re thrilled to partner with ComEd and some of their other Engineers of Choice to develop their solution to this need: Power Up Academy. The program will offer interested candidates the technical and soft skills needed to be successful in these entry level positions.”
