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 (Source: Brookings Institute). 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.

Our new strategic plan establishes the roadmap for action.

Here are select strategies from our workplan that are driving change:

Energy Career Awareness and Promotion:

• Develop and implement large-scale strategies and impactful tactics 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
• Demystify the industry’s careers and support equitable pathways of opportunity for all who are interested in working in the industry
• Partner with educational institutions, community-based organizations, and workforce systems to create targeted outreach programs that inspire and attract people to energy careers.

Leadership for Industry Workforce Development:

Curriculum and Credentials

• Seize opportunities created from the new Energy and Natural Resources Career Cluster to expand energy curriculum adoption in classrooms, especially through Career and Technical Education.
  • Publish competencies and framework for energy and natural resources education to guide primary to post-secondary education and accelerate curriculum adoption
  • Build and debut LaunchPad, in collaboration with Accenture, to offer one-stop shopping for open-source energy curriculum for HS and Post-Secondary educators
• Add elective modules to the Energy Industry Fundamentals curriculum
• Assist non-profits and community-based organizations in adoption of 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
• Publish strategy recommendations and guidance to help industry stakeholders understand how to bring energy curriculum into their classrooms
• Create a train-the-trainer program about energy to support confidence in educators learning about the industry
• Publish guidance for influencers who can help drive energy curriculum adoption
• Work in partnership with others to develop standardized stackable accredited credentials to establish core competencies across the energy sector to build a pre-qualified talent pipeline
• Create clear, industry-recognized career pathways that align with regional and national energy needs

Information Hub

• Serve as the energy sector’s information hub for workforce development with best practices, tools, and programs accessed through a user-friendly and interactive portal. 

Industry Leadership

• Convene essential thought leaders – including employers, labor, educators, community-based organizations, policy leaders, philanthropy, workforce systems, and others – to coalesce around developing a talent pipeline for good quality jobs in the energy sector
• Capitalize on national energy priorities to drive investment in the energy sector workforce and promote energy careers
• Host Energy Careers Discovery Zone to bring greater visibility to energy careers and needs, opportunities, and challenges held by employers
  • Host Energy Workforce Briefing on the Hill
  • Inform DOE’s 21st Century Energy Workforce Advisory Board about industry need
  • Participate in select and appropriate grant opportunities

• Provide the voice of the industry and its workforce needs to federal agencies, elected officials, and other key stakeholders. (Note: CEWD conducts no lobbying.)
• Develop briefs and white papers that highlight the importance of workforce priorities and needs for the energy industry
• Ensure industry employers are familiar with opportunities to leverage federal and state resources for workforce recruitment, training, apprenticeship, and other programs
• Familiarize workforce systems and workforce boards with information on career opportunities in the energy sector

CEWD Member Success and Benefits

• Facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration through conferences, webinars, and networking events that foster collaboration among workforce development professionals.
• Encourage adoption of innovative workforce practices
• Maintain a library of best practices, case studies, and resources for workforce development professionals
• Unite industry professionals for leadership around workforce issues associated with new and emerging energy technologies and changing workforce practices
• Curate 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
• Support the formation of regional and national workforce development networks, such as the State Energy Workforce Consortia
• Test a fee-for-service pilot program to determine need for customized workforce development solutions for individual members on workforce priorities