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December 2025 Newsletter

IN THIS ISSUE:

Announcements for 2025 Workforce Development Summit
Membership Invoices Sent
Get Into Energy Scholarship Fund
Troops to Energy Virtual Event
SVA National Conference
Seeking Skilled Trades Employers in Sacramento & Surrounding Counties for a New Workforce Program
Hire PowHER Expands
Demystifying Unions in Energy
CEWD Seeks End of Year Gifts

Announcements for 2025 Workforce Development Summit

The 2025 CEWD Workforce Development Summit, brought together industry leaders for three days of impactful engagement focused on the future talent pipeline of the energy sector. With one focus: Powering People,” attendees engaged in thoughtful, action focused, dialogue addressing steps to building a highly skilled energy workforce.

This year’s Summit was specifically designed to fuel workforce development leaders with the insights, strategies, and collaborative networks necessary to cultivate and prepare the next generation of talent who will drive the energy sector forward.

View The Photos

Save the Date for Summit 2026!

Membership Invoices Sent

Invoices for the 2026 membership year are now in inboxes. We look forward to continuing our work together in the year ahead.

Get Into Energy Scholarship Fund

The Over the coming decade, the energy sector will face historic demand for skilled talent, with each individual playing a role in powering the nation’s energy evolution. However, the high cost of essential education and training programs is a major barrier, restricting both workforce growth and individual career opportunities.

To tackle this, CEWD and Scholarship America have partnered to launch the Get Into Energy Scholarship Fund: An Initiative to Boost Access to Energy Careers.

Learn more about the Fund; explore corporate contributions for end of year giving; or contact [email protected] to learn more.

Troops to Energy Virtual Event

CEWD will host a Hiring Our Heroes virtual event on December 11 to raise awareness of the exceptional career opportunities available in the energy industry. This exclusive program is designed to equip veterans, transitioning service members, National Guard members, and Reservists with the insights, tools, and resources they need to explore the energy sector as a rewarding career path.

Industry veterans will share their personal experiences and highlight the wide range of career options well-suited to those with military backgrounds. In addition, we will review CEWD’s many Troops to Energy Jobs resources available to support veterans in their career development.

SVA National Conference

CEWD will participate in the 2026 SVA National Conference, taking place in Colorado Springs from January 8–10, 2026. Joined by five member companies, we will focus on promoting the wide range of compelling career opportunities within the energy industry.

We are also honored to have been selected to lead a breakout session titled “The Secrets of a Hiring Manager.” This session will address key topics frequently encountered by our veteran coach when advising veterans on career pathways and navigating the hiring process.

Seeking Skilled Trades Employers in Sacramento & Surrounding Counties for a New Workforce Program

SMUD and CEWD are bringing together employers, labor unions, community-based organizations, and other partners in Northern California to design a regional workforce program. The goal of this program is to prepare people—especially those from disinvested and economically marginalized communities—for skilled trades careers with utilities and construction contractors. We’re seeking engagement from skilled trades employers with footprints in Sacramento and surrounding counties, including:

Utilities (including electric, gas, water, sewage)
Contractors that work with utilities
Contractors in heavy construction

Interested in getting involved? If this decribes your organization, or you’d like to learn how to get involved, please reach out to Maya Goodwin, [email protected].

Next month we will share CEWD’s 2025 complete annual report. It’s been a year! However, we can’t wait that long to offer a sneak peek of some of the things we are most proud of. Take a look at our unofficial top ten list of accomplishments over the past 365 days. We look forward to sharing more early in the new year.

Hire PowHER Expands

Continuing to build on Hire PowHER’s efforts to attract women to skilled trade roles, CEWD recently launched PowHERful Women, a virtual mentoring network designed to open doors for women exploring skilled trade careers in energy.

Experienced tradeswomen mentor participants one-on-one, offering practical advice, encouragement, and industry insight to help them navigate their next steps with confidence. Learn more about the program here.

Demystifying Unions in Energy

CEWD recently added the “Unions in Energy” webpage to help demystify unions and clearly explain the career pathways they offer, which we know will be especially helpful for career seekers that haven’t been exposed to unions or craft career paths. The new information resource highlights the competitive wages, training, and job security available in union energy roles and offers connection points to the various unions that are large employers within the sector. We are appreciative of the union representatives that provided guidance to new resource.

CEWD Seeks End of Year Gifts

As business, foundations, and even individuals look toward end of year resource allocations, we ask you to consider CEWD in your December giving. CEWD’s expanded capacity this year has been enabled by philanthropic support. However, we still have unmet needs as we work to sustain and scale Hire PowHER, Troops to Energy Jobs, Meet the Moment (for energy curriculum adoption), the new Urban Energy After School Program, and so many other programs essential to uniting the industry around workforce development. Learn more about our areas of need and support the fund(s) most aligned with your areas of focus.