CEWD is pleased to once again host our Virtual Summer Series, programs focused on the hiring, retaining, and training of a skilled, diverse energy workforce. Each interactive webinar-style session will offer presentations by subject matter experts with plenty of time built-in for engagement among participants to ensure pressing questions are addressed within the gathered community. We hope you and other information-seekers from your company will join us for CEWD’s Virtual Summer Series. There is no registration fee for participants from CEWD member companies. Unable to attend a live session? No problem! All of our webinars are recorded and stored in our Webinar Archive for CEWD members to watch over, and over, again!
Registration Tip! Is your company is a CEWD member, but you are unable to register for a session? It may be because you have not yet created your account. If you have never been to a CEWD event, or you do not receive our newsletter and would like to, please complete our New Visitor Registration form to get started. You will receive an email notification when your account has been verified and your benefits have been activated. Please note, it may take up to 24-hours to verify a New Visitor Account. Please contact staff@cewd.org with any questions.
June 23 – What’s Ahead for Remote and Hybrid Work
July 15 – Renewable Energy Workforce Development, SCADA Technology, and BIG Data
Renewable energy installations generate large amounts of data. In a typical wind or solar farm, each individual turbine and each solar module has its own communications signal. This data is managed through a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, which organizes the data so that technicians can analyze the information to inform system operations and maintenance decision making. To put this in perspective, NextEra Energy, the world’s largest renewable energy producer, receives over 20 billion data points from over 4,000 wind and solar installations in a single day! Unfortunately, due to workforce limitations of knowledge and bandwidth for processing this data, the renewable energy industry is challenged to extract the value from this data stream, and to put the information to use in optimizing the management of wind and solar installations. Join presenters from NextEra Energy and the CREATE Energy Center as they discuss a new educational initiative funded by the National Science Foundation to address this important workforce need. Madison Area Technical College will also share information on the creation of their virtual workshops for high school and community college faculty and the network of 900+ teachers across all 50 states
The presentation will be led by Maureen Wilt, Senior Education Program Manager for NextEra Energy and Florida Power & Light and Dr. Kenneth Walz, Director of the Center for Renewable Energy Advanced Technological Education at Madison Area Technical College.
July 20 – Decarbonization and the Future of the Energy Workforce
The scope and pace of energy transition in the United States depend on the interplay between technology and workforce. The changes in the workforce may exacerbate existing inequalities, skills shortages, and talent pipeline challenges. They may dramatically impact certain segments and form new ones in a sector that’s already undergoing a broad digital transformation, which the pandemic accelerated. At the same time, these challenges will create opportunities for power companies to develop a new image, operating model, and culture to attract and retain talent. This panel of leaders from Deloitte’s Utilities and Renewables Practice, will explore how the core and broader power sector would grow and the workforce composition would change to meet Biden’s target to decarbonize the power sector by 2035. We will then delve into novel analysis of the growing gaps in the digital skills required in the power sector and what can be done to address them. Finally, we will discuss how power companies could rebrand, retrain the existing talent, and recruit from new talent pools to achieve this transition. CPE credit: This program is CPE-eligible for 2 credits, if you participate in the full session. (Attendance will be tracked by responses to knowledge check questions provided throughout the course. Responses are submitted through the Webex Meeting platform. All knowledge check questions must be answered in order to receive full credit.) Presenters: Deloitte’s Carolyn Amon, Brad Denny, Jim Thomson, and Karen Cunningham
August 4 – Five Questions about Inclusion that Stop Leaders in their Tracks
In this session, participants shared personal experiences and points of view. In order to protect the confidentiality of our participants, this session was not recorded. The presentation is available to review in our webinar archive here.
All too often, leaders keep their heads down when it comes to conversations about diversity equity and inclusion going issues related to these topics at work pass them by so they don’t have to address them. Why? Because no one wants to be labeled as ignorant or worse, as sexist, racist or homophobic at work, especially leaders.
The truth is inclusion and equality are the latest and therefore some of the least defined leadership competencies leaders worldwide need to practice. Learning how to talk about “touch” subjects involving DE&I begins by having the courage to examine and understand our own mindsets and gaps in knowledge. This interactive session will look at and address the five questions about inclusion that stop leaders in their tracks and keeps them in a crouched position.
WMFDP|FDP Global is a brand leader in engaging men in general and white men in the US on the topic of inclusive leadership. Their learning programs invite participants to examine their mindsets, dispel misperceptions, learn to have conversations across differences, and see how important they are to creating and sustaining an inclusive workplace. The results: They become stronger leaders, build better teams, and lead courageously, with head and heart. They intentionally include the group of folks who are rarely part of the conversation yet typically hold all the power – the “dominant leadership culture.” And yet, for companies to be truly inclusive, each demographic, including white men and women, needs to pursue their own diversity, equity and inclusion learning journeys.
The presentation will be led by Jim Morris, Chief Consulting Officer.
August 11 – Increasing Diversity in Skilled Trade Positions
Increasing diversity in skilled trade positions is a top priority throughout the industry as businesses work to have their workforce better reflect the customers and communities they serve. This session will explore work being done in this area. Tarn Goelling, Director of Civic and Community Engagement of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers will kick the session off by providing an overview of the IBEW Strong program that offers a vision for a union that welcomes, supports, and encourages diversity and respects and includes all workers, regardless of identity differences. We will then hear from some of the utilities that are partnering with IBEW to implement its program tenants and learn what steps are being taken to build a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive trade workforce.
August 18 – Exploring Diversity in our Workforce: Hiring the Neurodiverse Community
Please join us on August 18, 4:00-5:30 PM EST to explore diversity in hiring in the neurodiverse community. Autism Speaks representatives Valerie Paradiz and David Kearon will educate you on the world of employing those with autism – defining what it is, what it is not, exploring the types of jobs their constituency has seen success in, and learn how they help train and educate not only the candidate but also the hiring managers and supervisors. Kathy Hardy from Kelly Discover will demonstrate the numerous barriers to entry that exist in traditional hiring stages that systematically eliminate even the bravest of Autistic candidates from your group of finalists. The benefits to having them as employees are many, the barriers to entry are effectively keeping them out. She will share how adjusting your hiring efforts to include eager candidates on the Autism spectrum can positively affect your company’s success. And finally, Marji Morris and Jeremy Kelly from Tucson Electric Power (TEP) will discuss firsthand how they have successfully hired and retained an employee with autism. They will share not only their passion for hiring from this diverse and talented community but actions they have taken in areas of workplace accommodations, training, coaching for both the employee and staff. We are also looking forward to hearing from several members of the autistic community.
Want a recap of our 2020 series? Check out recordings here!