CEWD WEST REGIONAL MEETING NOTES NOVEMBER 2 3, 2009 LOS ANGELES, CA. Monday, November 2

Transcription

1 CEWD WEST REGIONAL MEETING NOTES NOVEMBER 2 3, 2009 LOS ANGELES, CA Monday, November 2 Welcome Remarks: Marcy Drummond, Vice President, Workforce and Economic Development, Los Angeles Trade & Technical College (LATCC), welcomed the attendees and talked about the college. LATCC has a very large culinary program which did the catering for the meeting. They also have several energy programs, including a utilities and construction prep program and a lineworker course, and are being funded for additional energy programs. The college has received a lot of attention recently for the quality of their programs specifically for their work with low income, inner city young adults. Later in the day, Dr. Roland Chapdelaine, President of the college, welcomed attendees and shared several success stories of students who have overcome challenges, such as homelessness, to launch successful careers. The philosophy of the college is that they make dreams come true. Meeting Objectives: Ann Randazzo, Executive Director for CEWD, went over the meeting agenda and asked the attendees what other topics they would like to cover. The response was a better understanding of the stimulus, grants, and the required skill sets for green jobs. CEWD Update: Ann Randazzo provided an overview of CEWD and its 2009 accomplishments which fall under the following categories: Career Awareness: new Get Into Energy web sites and postcards for the military and potential engineers Education: Energy Industry Competency Model (grouped into eight tiers) and Career Cluster Map; Ford PAS curriculum; several new toolkits and solutions guides; the Power and Energy Engineering Collaborative; and the Get Into Energy Career Pathways (discussed later in the meeting) Workforce Planning: last year s energy workforce survey plus a workforce survey taking place now (all member companies are encouraged to participate); a graph showing the workforce demand with the delay in retirements Member Services: toolkits and solution guides; a Greening of the Industry white papers; newsletters and webinars; partnerships and alliances; and the 25 state energy workforce consortia, of which the number grows each month; involvement of CEWD with the Departments of Labor, Education and Energy, the National Commission on Energy Policy s Task Force on Workforce (Ann serves on the Task Force); collaboration with similar industries such as manufacturing and construction Ann then went over the Get Into Energy Career Pathways Initiative which has three components:

2 Get Into Energy Outreach and Career Coaching Career Pathways Curriculum & Stackable Credentials Employer Support & Collaboration The Pathways take the Competency Model and groups it into Basic Training, Industry Fundamentals and Jobs Specific Skills/Credentials. The Center has been awarded a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Planning Grant for taking the model and applying it to low income young adults ages in five states. Ann then discussed facts and figures about the West Region, including the fuel mix, workforce demand, current number of industry jobs, and renewable energy portfolios for each state in the region. For next year, CEWD will be focusing on displaced workers, low income young adults 16 26, and integrating energy efficiency and renewable energy as well as SMART grid into the job categories. LATCC Utility/Energy Program: Marcy Drummond, Vice President, Workforce & Economic Development, shared how the college is a national leader in workforce development, with 75,000 participants in their workforce development program over the past five years. They are also the number one college in California for awarding several AA/AS degrees as well and green workforce education and training programs. Marcy discussed the college s Utility/Energy Programs which include certificate and degree programs in: Basic Electrician Trainee, Electrical Construction & Maintenance, Electric Utility Worker in powerline systems, Utility & Construction Prep, and Operation & Maintenance Engineer for steam plants. They also touch on several other green areas such as solar, sustainable lighting, weatherization and energy efficiency, renewable energy systems, and thermal energy. LATCC facilitates industry driven workforce development activities through regional partnerships, removing barriers and addressing gaps in the workforce system, and integrating industry recognized credentials. Marcy also told the group about some research reports the college has produced their partnerships with labor, which include running some apprenticeship programs, and career exploration (starting in fourth grade) and college and career preparation. Finally, the college has received attention from the national media and received numerous grants, all of which can be found in the presentation posted on the web site. Career Pathways for Skilled Utility Technicians: Steve Blume, President and CEO of Applied Professional Training (APT), told the group about several programs offered by APT. These include Associate s degrees and certificate programs in electrical power systems and renewable energy. Many of their courses have been certified by NERC, NABCEP, ETA, ACES, and the FOA. Students/Learners can start off with industry

3 certification course, then work their way up to professional certificates then eventually earn associate degrees. Steve went through the instructional design process for which APT courses uses including Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation (ADDIE). Lesson learned from APT include the importance of working closely with utilities, meeting education standards of accredited institutions, including hands on components, and being flexible. SONGS Career Preparation Program in Collaboration with MiraCosta College: Dave Ripley, Training Pipeline Manager, Southern California Edison (SCE) presented his company s approach to filling the job pipeline. David s humorous start demonstrated the importance of growing your own. SCE starts building awareness of energy industry jobs in middle school with science camps, summer visits and career fairs, then continuing into high school with academic preparation, teacher externships, college career fairs, and classroom visits. Other programs offered by the company include paid summer internships and scholarships. SCE leverages has partnerships with their One Stop career centers as well as non profits and community organizations, including WINTER, NAACP, Southern CA Tribal Chairmen s Association, Encuentros Leadership and Adelante Mujer. Dave then discussed their partnership with MiraCosta College, which includes Energy Technology associate degrees in Operations and Radiation Technology. After students complete this program, they become part of a temporary maintenance helper pool for one year, moving then into the permanent helper pool, and eventually progressing into other positions or enter a ANPEO apprenticeship. Evolving to Advance the Green Energy Economy: Sandy Hagerty, Senior Manager, Workforce Development, shared information on Pacific Gas & Electric s (PG&E) PowerPathway initiative. This program has four goals: Enlarge the talent pool for PG&E Jointly address workforce challenges Prepare tomorrow s graduates Support greening of economies Sandy also shared about PG&Es new Energy Academies, in partnership with the California Department of Education. The three year program runs from grades 10 12, with students starting each year. It includes academic and career technical courses, and 50% of the students must be at risk. The program also includes mentoring and internship components. The company sees this as a high school, career awareness program, not a hiring program. California State Energy Workforce Consortium: Tom Cohenno from SCE provided an update on the top three accomplishments for 2009 include establishing the consortium

4 early in the year, agreeing on their purpose and goals, and development of a standard one year Power and Electrical Systems Certificate program. For 2010, the consortium will launch the certificate program at three community colleges, develop a standard statewide curriculum to upskill the fleet workforce in clean transportation, and promote STEM programs to grades K 12. Tom shared some best practices, including their East Los Angeles Skill Center (ELASC) pipeline development program for mechanics in underserved communities, the PG&E PowerPathway, and the LATTC clean energy pre apprenticeship program. He also mentioned their struggles, including no dedicated staffing and getting a common understanding of skills required for green jobs. Tuesday, November 3 Recap: Ann Randazzo summarized what was discussed on Day 1. Workforce Planning: David Heler, PV Human Resources, Arizona Public Services (APS) provided an overview of his company s workforce development process. David described the integrated Workforce Planning Model p that APS has developed. The model links all phases of workforce planning from the development of a candidate pool to planning for those employees who will be leaving the company. David emphasized that the creation of a clear process that includes skills identification, knowledge transfer, attrition modeling, and Business Unit staffing plans, will lead to better decisions at the beginning, middle, and end of an employee s career. David talked about how their Palo Verde Nuclear Plant supplies power to many other utilities and the hiring and development model being used to fill the talent pipeline. This includes workforce planning, initial and targeted hires, performance management, development and retention, compensation and rewards, and metrics and effectiveness reviews. Lastly, David discussed the Palo Verde Pipeline Program, which includes: Legacy Engineering Program, with a high retention rate for how many start, finish and get hired 12 month Maintenance Internship program Maintenance Apprentice program (for a number of trades) Summer 12 week engineering internship program Auxiliary Operator Development program Radiation Protection Technology program funded by a Department of Labor grant Helmets to Hardhats: Dan Lozano from Helmets to Hardhats provided a general overview of the Helmets to Hardhats, a web site for Veterans and employers who are interested in hiring veterans. Dan showed a video that interviewed several Vets who have been helped by the Helmets to Hardhats program. Benefits from posting jobs on Helmets to Hardhats include:

5 Ability to connect with Vets from all military branches as well as transitioning active duty military Post career opportunities that go out to Vets Ability to search for qualified Vets in the database Can manage career postings online Learning for Life: Two guests from Learning for Life discussed their unique program for kids and young adults to explore engineering and technology. The mission of Learning for Life is to serve others by helping to instill core values in young people and in other ways prepare them to make ethical choices throughout their lives so they can reach their full potential. Learning for Life is affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America, but is their own non profit organization governed by a separate board of directors. The Exploring Post for Engineering and Technology introduces these topics in a fun and engaging matter. Employers agree to meet with a group of Explorer post students ages on a monthly basis to give them an insider s perspective on the energy industry. Employers pay only $20 per year to participate and meet with students on a monthly basis. IBEW Regional Training Centers: Bill Neiles, Executive Director for IBEW s new Regional Training Centers, spoke for a few moments about the centers and their plans for a pre apprenticeship program covering tiers one to three of the industry Competency Model early next year. Career Awareness/Adjournment: Ann Randazzo talked about the branding available on the ShopCEWD site then adjourned the meeting.