Energy Industry Partners such as Siemens and ABB Unite to Develop Skilled Electric Workforce
Newly established workforce initiative Careers Electric is bringing together two of the industry’s biggest technology forces to develop a new generation of contributors just as electrification of infrastructure ramps up dramatically.
The formation of the Careers Electric Coalition will bring together major employers, natural trade associations, workforce development entities and other partners. Electrification technology firms ABB and Siemens Foundation are co-chairing the initiative.
ABB also is contributing a $1 million pledge in supporting the first two years of the Careers Electric workforce development efforts. Siemens Foundation provided the $9.25 million backbone investment to initially accelerate the initiative.
“Joining Careers Electric aligns perfectly with our goal of growing a skilled workforce that enables industries to be more sustainable and resource-efficient so they can outperform,” Deni Miller, U.S. Electrification Business Lead at ABB, said in a statement. “We are proud to be part of a coalition bringing together government, industry, and education to help people build life-changing, well-paying careers while powering the electrified economy.”
Last year, the American Society of Civil Engineers graded U.S. energy infrastructure at a D+ and stressed the need for more than $1.8 trillion of upgrade investment into the system.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has estimated that demand for trained electricians could grow 9% annually, generating close to 81,000 job openings annually. However, the overall industry faces immediate shortfalls, due to various factors such as an aging workforce with a sizable portion of licensed electricians over the age of 50.
Careers Electric was founded in North Carolina to develop paths for students in accessing technical, digital, safety and other workplace skills in energy, manufacturing and infrastructure nationwide.
Earlier this year, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein and Siemens Foundation announced the initiative and its goals.
“High-quality workforce training is essential not only to meet employers’ growing demand for skilled talent, but also to expand access to well-paying trade careers for more Americans,” said David Etzwiler, CEO of the Siemens Foundation. “Seeing industry leaders, including competitor companies, come together as part of this powerful coalition underscores just how important workforce training is to the strength of our economies and communities.”
Other partners engaged in the Careers Electric Initiative include Amazon Web Services, Duke Energy, Hitachi Energy, CareerWise, Strada Education Foundation and the Manufacturing Institute 501c3 of the National Association of Manufacturers.
The Careers Electric Initiative aims to train 25,000 people in the first 10 years.
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About the Author
Rod Walton, EnergyTech Managing Editor
Managing Editor
For EnergyTech editorial inquiries, please contact Managing Editor Rod Walton at [email protected].
Rod Walton has spent 17 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist. He formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.
Walton earned his Bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma. His career stops include the Moore American, Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, Wagoner Tribune and Tulsa World.
EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids. The C&I sectors together account for close to 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.
He was named Managing Editor for Microgrid Knowledge and EnergyTech starting July 1, 2023
Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.