In 2010, CEWD held a series of regional meetings with member companies to review current post secondary education programs and to identify those that have the most potential for educating the energy workforce of the future. The programs all offer some type of post secondary credential from a certificate to an associate degree. From our work over the past few years, it appears the industry partnerships are the most critical factor in developing
programs that match supply and demand, and produce students that are prepared for and are most likely to be successful in energy careers.
The criteria that were used to select the programs are: 1. Program must be sponsored by an electric/gas utility
2. Program focuses on one of the industry critical skilled utility technician job categories: • Lineworker
• Plant / Field Operator
• Generation or T & D Technician • Pipefitter / Pipelayer / Welder
3. Utility sponsorship includes but is not limited to the following: • Involvement in the development of curriculum
• Recruitment of students into the program
• Providing resources (adjunct instructors, materials, equipment) • Offering internships and mentors
• Granting interviews to graduates
Additional information on these programs can be found in the member’s only section of the CEWD website in the training data base. If you have a program that you would like to include or for updates to this list, please contact Dana Berkheimer at [email protected]. We have also included some programs sponsored by companies that are not CEWD members because they also met the criteria. They are noted by an asterisk and contact information for those
companies is not available on the site.
We also did not include the many excellent company and registered apprenticeship programs that train for these positions.
Lineworker Programs
Region Company Post Secondary Institution
Program
MidAtlantic Virginia, Maryland, Delaware Association of Electric Co-ops
Piedmont Virginia Community College – www.pvcc.edu
2 year AAS degree, students are hired by the co-ops and sent to the training
Midwest Association of Missouri
Electric Co-ops
Linn State Technical College
Electrical distribution systems - 2 year AAS degree; accredited by the National Association of
Industrial Technology Midwest Ameren St. Louis Community
College
6 week line worker
pre-apprenticeship program at the Florissant Valley campus Midwest Black Hills
Energy
Mitchell Technical Institute 9 month program in power line construction and maintenance Midwest Consumers
Energy
Delta Community College Electrical utility worker – certificate requiring 26 credits, AAS degree requiring 62-68 credits
Midwest Consumers Energy
Lansing Community College
Electrical utility worker/line worker – certificate of
achievement requiring 33 credits Midwest Exelon Corp Dawson Technical Institute,
a part of Kennedy-King Community College
5 month certificate program for line workers
Midwest First Energy * Owens Community College Lakeland Community
College
Lorain County Community College
Cuyahoga Community College
Youngstown State University
Stark State College
Power System Institute - 2 year AAS degree – students
participate as a cohort; rigorous screening process including an 80 hour climbing school and a strength test
Midwest KCP&L Metropolitan Community College
Certificate – requiring 48 credits AAS degree – requiring 66 credits Midwest Minnesota
Power Xcel Energy
Dakota County Technical College
Minnesota State
Community & Technical College, Wadena Campus Minnesota West
Community & Technical College, Jackson Campus
Diploma – requiring 43 credits AAS degree – requiring 60 credits
Midwest Vectren Ivy Tech 2 year AAS degree
Northwest Avista Spokane Community College
Boot camp and apprentice program
Northwest PacifiCorp* Bonneville Power Authority
Portland Community College
Northwest PacifiCorp* Bonneville Power Authority
Clackamas Community College
Certificate program
Northwest PacifiCorp * Bonneville Power Authority
Clark Community College Certificate program
Southeast Duke Energy Forsyth Technical College 2 year associate degree Southeast Georgia
Power/GEICC JEA
Dekalb Technical College, Lithonia
North Georgia Technical College, Clarksville South Georgia Technical
College, Americus Okefenokee Technical
College, Waycross
8 week boot camp with certificate
Southeast Gulf Power Company
West Florida High School Locklin Tech
Laurel Hill School
All programs result in certificate of completion, high school diploma, NCCER credentials and college credit (12 – 15 hours)
Southeast Mississippi Power
East Mississippi Community College
Certificate – Lineworker Southeast Mississippi
Power
Pearl River Community College
Certificate – Lineworker Southeast Progress
Energy Carolinas *
Nash Community College Diploma
Southeast Progress Energy Florida *
Lake Sumter Community College
Basic certificate – 24 credits Advanced certificate – 50 credits AAS degree – 65 credits
West PG&E College of San Mateo – www.smccd.edu
Certificate in Electrical and Power Line Systems
Utility Technicians
Region Company Post Secondary Institution Program
MidAtlantic Dominion Resources
Thomas Nelson Community College
2 year AAS degree in Electrical, Electronics Technology
Midwest Ameren St. Louis Community College 2 year AAS degree program Midwest Consumers
Energy
Delta Community College Electrical utility worker – substation worker – advanced technical certificate requiring 56 credits
Midwest Consumers Energy
Lake Michigan Community College
2 year AAS degree – Industrial Technology-Energy Production Technology
Midwest First Energy * Owens Community College Lakeland Community
College
Lorain County Community College
Cuyahoga Community College
Youngstown State University Stark State College
2 year associate degree program; substation electrician training
Midwest Minnesota Power
St. Cloud Technical College Energy technical specialist program – associate degree
Midwest Vectren Ivy Tech 2 year AAS degree program
Midwest Xcel Energy St. Paul Technical College Energy technical specialist program - associate degree Midwest Xcel Energy Dakota County Technical
College
Energy technical specialist program – associate degree Northeast Dominion
Resources
New River Community College
2 year AAS degree in Electrical, Electronics Technology
Northeast National Grid* Middlesex Community College
North Shore Community College
Quinsigamond Community College
2 semester college credit program, 10 week training
program at National Grid training center for OH line workers, underground workers, metering, substation maintenance and substation construction Northeast PSE&G Mercer County Community
College
Essex County College Passaic County
Salem County Colleges Essex County Vocational
Technical Schools
2 year AAS degree program; provides training for underground electric helper, substation
mechanic, relay technician, meter technician, gas distribution helper and appliance service helper Northeast The United
Illuminating Company
Gateway Community College 2 year AAS degree program
Northwest Bonneville Power Authority Portland General Electric
Centralia College Power plant mechanic - 2 year AAS degree
Northwest PacifiCorp* Walla Walla Community College
Wind technician - 2 year AAS degree program
Northwest Idaho Power Entergy
Idaho State/ESTEC 2 year AAS degree, I&C, electrical and mechanical technicians
Northwest Bonneville Power Authority
Columbia Gorge community college
Wind technician - 2 year AAS degree program
Southeast Georgia Power/GEICC
Lanier Technical College Savannah Technical College
2 year associate degree program modeled after PSE&G program Southeast Southern
Company
Georgia Northwestern Technical College Central Georgia Technical
College
2 year Instrument & Controls Technician AAS degree program
Southeast Gulf Power Haney Tech
George Stone Technical Center
Locklin Tech
Certificate
Southeast Gulf Power Pensacola Junior College 2 year AAS degree program Southeast Mississippi
Power
East Mississippi Community College
Jones Jr. College Meridian Community
College
Certificate – Industrial Maintenance
Southeast Mississippi Power
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Process Operations Technology Program results in AAS degree Southeast Progress
Energy Florida*
Central Florida Community College
Indian River State College Withlacoochee Technical
Institute
2 year AAS degree program
West Arizona Public
Service
Chandler/Gilbert Community College –
www.cgcmail.maricopa.edu
Energy Utility Technology - 2 year AAS degree and certificate
program West PG&E Fresno City Community
College
Bridge to utility worker certificate
Plant/Field Operator
Region Company Post Secondary Institution Program
Midwest Ameren Lakeland Community
College
2 year AAS degree program Midwest Dayton Power
& Light
Maysville Technical College 2 year AAS degree and certificate program; power plant operations training
Midwest DTE Energy MIAT (Michigan Institute of Aviation)
2 year AAS degree program Midwest Great River
Energy*
Bismarck State College Power plant operator training Midwest Minnesota
Power Xcel Energy
St. Cloud Technical College Energy technical specialist program and power generation associate degree program
Midwest Vectren Ivy Tech 2 year AAS degree program
Northeast PSE&G Mercer County Community College
Essex County College Passaic County College Salem County
2 year AAS degree program; power plant maintenance technician
Northwest Bonneville Power Authority Portland General
Centralia College 2 year AAS degree program for power plant operators
Northwest Idaho Power Entergy
Idaho State/ESTEC 2 year AAS degree program Northwest PacifiCorp* Portland Community College Certificate program
Northwest PacifiCorp* Clackamas Community College
Certificate program Northwest PacifiCorp*
Bonneville Power Authority Clark PUD*
Clark Community College Certificate program – substation operators
Southeast Progress Energy Carolinas*
Piedmont Community College
Electrical Power Production Technology program (EPPT)
Pipefitter / Pipelayer / Welder
Region Company Post Secondary Institution Program
MidAtlantic UGI Utilities Penn College of Technology Pipe welding, specialized degree, 2 year AAS degree program MidAtlantic UGI Utilities Thaddeus Stevens College
of Technology
Pipe welding, specialized degree, 2 year AAS degree program Midwest Northern
Natural Gas*
Barton Community College 12 week boot camp, certificate and 2 year AAS degree program for natural gas transmission and distribution technicians
Midwest Vectren Ivy Tech 2 year AAS degree program Southeast Progress
Energy Carolinas*
Florence Darlington Technical College Alamance community College
Pipe welding, specialized degree, 2 year AAS degree program
West PG&E Butte College Certificate in utility welding West Southern
California Edison
Los Angeles Trade & Technical College
AAS degree program; certificate
General Industry Programs
Region Company Post Secondary Institution Program
National – Online Education
Energy Providers Coalition for Education
(EPCE)
Bismarck State College Electric Power Technology (ELPW) program is a fully-accredited online program
providing students with a core set of skills, competencies and
industry fundamentals. After completion of the core courses, students choose a specialization area to pursue. Areas of choice include Line Construction,
Metering, Substation, and System Design.
Students have the following options:
• Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree in Electric Power Technology
• Program Certificate in Electric Power Technology
• Essentials of Electric Power Technology Certificate of Achievement
EPCE Coalition Members = Ameren, APS, APDA, APPA, BG&E, Constellation Energy Group, Duke, Entergy, Exelon, Florida Power & Light, IBEW Local 111, IBEW Local 2304, JEA, Lakeland Electric,
National Grid, NRECA, NWPPA, OGE, Pepco Holdings, PJM Interconnections, Tucson Electric
