strategies and initiatives
Workforce development has taken center stage within the energy sector as employers face historic hiring demands. There is recognition that the people side of the business must be addressed in step with the technology side of the house as the industry and the workforce ecosystem experience the daunting reality of hiring and training 32 million people over ten years. Today’s workforce development practices require significant strategy and engagement work within companies, but also orchestrated industry-wide leadership.
CEWD is committed to convening, connecting, leading, supporting, and taking action to ensure we are people ready for the energy evolution, attracting individuals from all communities to engineer, build, operate, maintain, and transformer energy that powers American life. Specifically, we work to:
Increase Awareness of Energy Careers to Work-Ready Adults, Students, and Their Influencers, by:
- Developing and implementing strategies to elevate the profile of energy careers, highlighting the diverse range of opportunities and pathways available and the critical role employees play in powering the country.
- Demystifying the industry’s careers and supporting equitable pathways of opportunity for all who are interested in working in the industry.
- Partnering with educational institutions, community-based organizations, and workforce systems to create targeted outreach programs that inspire and attract individuals from all communities to the energy sector.
- Expanding actions of our Troops to Energy Jobs program to connect veterans, transitioning service professionals, and military spouses with energy careers.
Ensure Broad Access to Education and Training for Energy Careers, by:
- Seizing opportunities created from the new Energy and Natural Resources Career Cluster to expand energy curriculum adoption in classrooms, especially through Career and Technical Education.
-
- Creating national competencies and framework for energy education for learners in Kindergarten to Post-Secondary Education.
- Creating clear, industry-recognized career pathways that align with regional and national energy needs.
- Inventorying and archiving existing open-source energy curriculum and identifying where additional curriculum support is needed.
- Supporting educators and advisors who want to bring energy curriculum into their classrooms, especially those in Title I schools, through direct service, participation on advisory committees, and connections with local employers.
- Guiding energy employers in approaches to having energy curriculum adopted in their communities.
-
- Expanding adoption of the Energy Industry Fundamentals 2.0 curriculum within high schools and post-secondary institutions and continue to enhance its educational offerings for all communities. Further, assisting non-profits and community-based organizations adopt EIF for energy education and support energy companies in utilizing the program for training new employees and their incumbent workforce, making EIF a total talent solution.
- Supporting those adopting pre-apprenticeship programs and other training initiatives to ensure consistency and quality.
- Establishing and maintaining strong partnerships with energy companies, trade unions, and educational institutions to ensure curriculum relevance and industry alignment.
- Facilitating collaborative projects between industry and educators to provide real-world learning experiences for students.
Unite Industry Stakeholders for Collaborative Leadership and Action, by:
- Convening essential thought leaders – including employers, labor, educators, community-based organizations, policy leaders, philanthropy, workforce systems, and others – to coalesce around developing a strong, inclusive talent pipeline for good quality jobs in the energy sector.
- Providing the voice of the industry and its workforce needs to federal agencies, elected officials, and other key stakeholders. (Note: CEWD conducts no lobbying.)
- Developing briefs and white papers that highlight the importance of workforce priorities and needs for the energy industry.
- Ensuring industry employers are familiar with opportunities to leverage federal and state resources for workforce recruitment, training, apprenticeship, and other programs.
- Familiarizing workforce systems and workforce boards with information on career opportunities in the energy sector.
Equip Energy Professionals with Essential Resources and Tools to Drive Workforce Development Transformation, by:
- Facilitating knowledge sharing and collaboration through conferences, webinars, and networking events that foster collaboration among workforce development professionals.
- Encouraging adoption of innovative workforce practices.
- Maintaining a library of best practices, case studies, and resources for workforce development professionals.
- Uniting industry professionals for leadership around workforce issues associated with new and emerging energy technologies and changing workforce practices.
- Curating research and data on industry trends, skill gaps, and emerging technologies and conducting industry surveys and focus groups to identify emerging workforce needs and challenges.
- Supporting the formation of regional and national workforce development networks, such as the State Energy Workforce Consortia.