Potomac Edison hires members of Power Systems Institute program graduating class
Potomac Edison recently hired members of the first graduating class of its Power Systems Institute (PSI) training program that it established with Blue Ridge Community & Technical College in Martinsburg, West Virginia in 2015.
The company, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., hired 11 line workers from the Blue Ridge program. It also hired two other line workers that graduated from a PSI program at another school outside the state. Five new substation electricians were hired after graduating from an existing PSI program at Pierpont Community and Technical College in Fairmont, West Virginia.
“The PSI program is an effective pipeline for adding well-trained, highly skilled employees to our workforce,” Potomac Edison Vice President James A. Sears, Jr. said. “By teaming with our veteran linemen and substation personnel, these new employees will help ensure reliable service for our customers, now and in the future.”
FirstEnergy first introduced the PSI program in 2000 and has since hired 1,102 line and 360 substation personnel who completed programs in Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Graduates of the two-year educational program earn an associate of applied science degree in Electric Utility Technology. The programs include a combination of academic course work at the participating schools and time at FirstEnergy facilities for hands-on training.
