Has Your Company Taken Action on the Proposed Energy and Natural Resources Career Cluster Yet?

Last week and this week, CEWD disseminated information to prime contacts for each of CEWD’s member companies asking them to complete a survey and write a letter to support the need for an energy and natural resources career cluster. The correspondence also encouraged the industry to recommend changes that should be made to the proposed cluster wording to better reflect the sector’s terminology and operational practices. CEWD urges every company to engage is this watershed opportunity to ensure learners are exposed to industry competencies and career pathways. If you did not get information or would like to ensure your company is engaged, please contact staff@cewd.org.

CEWD Welcomes New Directors and Recognizes Outgoing Leaders

CEWD is proud to welcome its newest directors and leaders, those who will guide the organization’s strategic vision during this historic need for talent cultivation and development. Please join us in recognizing those who have taken new roles on our Board:

CEWD Chair
Sheila Rostiac, SVP, CHRO, and CDO at PSEG

CEWD Vice Chair, Training and Education
Tracey Steiner, Chief Engagement & Consumer Officer

Director
Melanie Berman, CHRO and SVP of Administration, NiSource

Director
Gina Elbert, SVP and CHRO, Dominion Energy

Director
Melissa Miller, Executive Director, Talent Acquisition and Strategic Initiatives, NextEra

Director
Daniella Piper, EVP and Chief Innovation Officer, New York Power Authority

As we recognize those who are joining the team, it’s also a bittersweet time as we thank and recognize those whose terms have come to an end, those who have served the industry, CEWD, and their companies so admirably:

Vivek Arora, SAM Companies’ CAO and CEWD’s Immediate Past Chair, has served as our Chair for the past two years, overseeing significant growth and service delivery by CEWD. We are grateful for his bold and visionary leadership.

Gery Gorla, Spire’s CHRO, served as a director for the past three years, providing service on the Governance and Nominating Committee and providing an intentional voice for the gas segment of the industry in CEWD’s initiatives.

McKell Purnell, the Vice President of Human Capital for OPPD, is also closing the chapter on her service to CEWD. She has been a strong leader, lending her particular focus to CEWD’s work in the policy education and resource delivery.

Summit Registration Is Open

REMINDER: Registration is open for this year’s Workforce Development Summit, taking place November 19-21 in Washington, D.C. The incredible line up of programming you expect from CEWD will return – as will new features including the CHRO Day, the Energy Careers Discovery Zone, and in-depth issue based workshops. Check out the program and register today. Watch for the full agenda of offerings coming your way this summer.

Call for Nominations for Excellence in Workforce Development

Nominations for the 2024 Impact Awards are now being accepted. These awards honor excellence by individuals, companies, and consortia affiliated with CEWD for their leadership of workforce development initiatives that will have a lasting impact on the development of a skilled, diverse talent pipeline for the energy sector. 

Learn more and submit nominations here.

Opportunity to Participate in Student Veterans of American National Conference

If you have a strategy to recruit and hire veterans into your organization, you may want to consider joining CEWD and other energy companies in a shared exhibit at the Student Veterans of America National Conference in January of 2025 in Colorado Springs, Co. – where over 2000 veterans will be in attendance.

Under the Troops to Energy Jobs banner, we will showcase energy careers to individuals who have an incredible number of skills that transfer well into the energy sector. The cost is $4,000 per company and we need six more companies to commit to hold an industry wide booth. Lots of visibility and access to resumes of all veterans in attendance. If you would like to learn more about this opportunity, please reach out to Rosa Schmidt at rosa@cewd.org

What’s Up? News Updates

CEWD is reporting important news and updates in this new CEWD Connections section to keep readers abreast of energy workforce headlines. If you have any article suggestions, please email christina@cewd.org.

Duke Energy Awards $90,000 in Workforce Development Grants to Nine Area Organizations

June 2024

The Duke Energy Foundation announced the recipients of its 2024 Workforce Development Grants. A total of $90,000 has been awarded to various organizations in Greater Cincinnati to support initiatives that strengthen the workforce development pipeline for high demand industries. The grants will fund a range of initiatives with focus areas ranging from STEM and IT to construction and logistics.

Electric Utility Fundamentals for Educators Electric Cooperative Training Center

June 4-5, 2024

A 2-day training focused on the fundamentals of the electric utility industry was held on June 4-5, 2024. The training focused on high-voltage transmission facilities, hands-on exercises, and discussion on what goes on behind the scenes to keep the lights on in Georgia. The 2-day training is funded by the Georgia Energy and Industrial Construction Consortium (GEICC) and hosted by Georgia Transmission Corporation (GTC).

Get Into Energy Georgia 2024 Scholarship Program

April 22, 2024

The Georgia Energy and Industrial Construction Consortium (GEICC) announced the GEICC Scholarship Class of 2024. The twenty students selected will receive a $2,000 scholarship to be used for their educational expenses. All students are high school seniors across Georgia and are pursuing degrees in engineering, cyber security, computer science, and business analytics.