New Jersey celebrates Careers in Utilities Week

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, the New Jersey Utilities Association (NJUA), and the regulated utility companies are observing New Jersey Careers in Utilities Week this week to increase awareness of utility careers and acknowledge utility employees.

Gov. Chris Christie signed legislation last year that designates the third week in October as New Jersey Career in Utilities Week.

“New Jersey Careers in Utilities Week is an important way of highlighting the everyday work that occurs in support of our state’s public utility infrastructure and the importance of having a prepared and highly trained workforce ready to respond to all challenges, from storm outages to cybersecurity,” New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) President Richard S. Mroz said.

Approximately 38,000 people work for investor-owned utilities in New Jersey. Mroz noted that the utilities made combined capital expenditures of approximately $12 billion over the last two years.

“New Jersey Careers in Utilities Week is both a way to celebrate our industry and to emphasize its importance to the state’s economy,” Andrew Hendry, president and CEO of NJUA, the statewide trade association for investor-owned utilities, said. “It is critical that utilities have access to a well-trained labor pool. It is also extremely important for the state’s economy that we are able to continue to fill these very important jobs.”