CIEW Congressional Site Visits
Bringing the Front Lines of Energy to the Halls of Congress
Policy is only as good as the information behind it. When your U.S. Representatives and Senators see your training facilities and meet your engineers, technicians, cybersecurity teams, instructors, and other critical roles, they see the faces behind the grid. This October, we are calling on all CEWD members to open their doors and invite your elected officials to see how you are powering your communities and building the next generation of energy professionals.
While you may have hosted federal officials previously to showcase operations and technology, we encourage you to focus this visit on the people side of the house, and your work to attract, train, and retain your greatest asset: your employees.
This initiative is open to the entire CEWD Community! Educators, labor training facilities, energy employers, consortia members, and on are all welcome to participate in the Careers in Energy Week Congressional Site Visits!
The Step-by-Step Guide
Navigating congressional engagement doesn’t have to be complicated. Follow these steps to plan, execute, and report a successful site visit that strengthens your relationship with your elected officials.
Step 1: Internal Coordination & Identify Your Congressmembers
Timeline: June
Reach out to all appropriate parties within your organization. This effort should involve coordination between government affairs, community engagement, workforce/HR/talent acquisition, and site management teams.
Use this Legislator Finder Tool for U.S. Representatives and this Legislator Finder Tool for U.S. Senators to locate your Representative and Senators. Note the names of their District Directors and Schedulers.
Reach out to [email protected] if you have any questions about identifying your congressional offices.
Step 2: Invite
Timeline: July-August
Once you have identified the Congressional Offices you plan to invite, download our Invitation Email Template and send it to the local office. We recommend sending your request by early August to secure a spot on their October calendar.
Once you confirm a meeting, please contact [email protected] so we can add it to our CIEW Event tracker.
Step 3: Host
Timeline: October 19-24, 2026
Review the proposed 60-Minute Site Visit Agenda to ensure a high-impact, safe, and professional experience for your Congressional guests.
Review the talking points and prepare leave behind materials. Be prepared to address expected hiring demand, changing skill sets, partnerships with community organizations and academic institutions, opportunities and challenges with workforce development, and any workforce policy priorities important to your business.
- Energy Workforce Development 1-Pager
- Energy and Natural Resources Career Cluster, 5 Steps for Policy Makers
- Hey, Parents! Get Into Energy
- Talking Points – to be updated in early September to ensure timeliness.
- Company-Specific 1-pagers on workforce development programs
- The People of Energy Book as a leave behind – purchase information coming soon!
Step 4: Post & Thank You Note
Timeline: Directly after your visit
Following the Congressional visits, we encourage you to use the Social Media Kit, developed by CEWD, to post pictures on your company socials to promote the visit.
Pro-Tip: Check the social media channels of the official visiting to repost their post!
One of the most important steps in this visit is to send a follow-up thank you note to ensure you are continuing to build and establish your relationship with the Congressional Office. Draft your own letter or use CEWD’s template, noting the area for your personalization!
If you have any questions about Careers in Energy Week, contact our staff at: [email protected].