FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, DC, April 16, 2025 – The Center for Energy Workforce Development’s (CEWD) board of directors has approved a new three-year strategic plan aimed at strengthening and expanding the organization’s role in uniting energy stakeholders to attract and develop a highly skilled workforce.

Announced ahead of the group’s 20th anniversary, the 2025–2027 plan responds to mounting workforce shortages and historic hiring pressures across the energy sector. It offers a focused roadmap to help industry stakeholders meet growing demand for qualified talent and advance long-term workforce sustainability.

Working toward its vision of a “thriving energy workforce powering our nation,” CEWD will deepen its impact as the energy sector’s go-to source for information, collaboration, and resources supporting workforce planning, recruitment, development and retention.

The forward-looking plan outlines priorities in three focus areas:

• Career awareness and promotion — Raising awareness, inspiring interest and attracting new candidates to energy careers through targeted outreach and engagement.
• Leadership for workforce development — Serving as the leading resource for tools and strategies to help develop and retain the industry’s talent pipeline.
• CEWD member success — Enhancing member value through high-impact services, leadership opportunities and collaboration.

“The administration has prioritized the need for a reliable, diversified and affordable supply of energy to drive the country’s manufacturing, transportation, agriculture and defense industries — and to sustain the basics of modern life and military preparedness,” said CEWD Executive Director Missy Henriksen.

According to Henriksen, that demand also carries an implicit need for the human capital required to engineer, construct, operate and maintain every component of the energy ecosystem. “Workforce development must be prioritized — with increased urgency — so that we are people-ready for the evolution before us. CEWD’s new plan offers a bold roadmap to support those at the epicenter of the work ahead: employers, labor, educators, community-based organizations and policy influencers.”

Select areas of focus within the new plan include:

• Developing and evolving curriculum, tools and strategies for key audiences and the broader energy sector to build knowledge, skills and access to career opportunities.
• Advancing partnerships to develop standardized, stackable accredited credentials that establish core competencies and create a pre-qualified talent pipeline.
• Capitalizing on national energy priorities to drive investment in workforce development and promote careers in energy, including through large-scale campaigns.
• Convening and unifying industry stakeholders to shape the future workforce through collaborative planning and the design of emerging career pathways.
• Creating new opportunities for industry collaboration and strategic partnerships among CEWD members.
• Reducing barriers and offering guidance to help job seekers navigate successful entry into energy sector careers.
• Serving as the sector’s centralized hub for workforce development best practices, tools and programs, made accessible through an interactive online portal.
• Piloting a fee-for-service model to explore demand for customized workforce solutions tailored to individual member priorities.

As the only national, neutral, cross-sector energy workforce intermediary, CEWD convenes the industry’s most influential voices to identify critical needs and drive practical solutions. In addition to supporting 140 energy companies, CEWD serves as the workforce development arm for the Association of Energy Services Professionals, American Gas Association, American Petroleum Institute, American Public Gas Association, American Public Power Association, Clean Power Institute, Distribution Contractors Association, Edison Electric Institute, Electric Power Research Institute, INGAA Foundation, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, and the Nuclear Energy Institute.

CEWD’s new strategic plan is available at www.cewd.org/about/strategic-plan. To learn more about the organization and its network of industry partners, visit www.cewd.org.

About The Center for Energy Workforce Development
The Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD) is a non-profit consortium of electric, natural gas, nuclear, and renewable energy companies, and their associations, committed to the development of a skilled, diverse energy workforce.