Access Intelligence, which produces the ELECTRIC POWER conference and exhibition, and its partner Prequalified Ready Employees for Power (PReP Intl.), announce the winners of the first annual Faraday Awards. The Faraday Awards are part of the Veterans in Power (VIP) at ELECTRIC POWER, and recognize outstanding efforts in the electric power sector to recruit, retain, and mentor veterans who are returning to civilian careers after serving in the armed forces.
The Faraday Awards will be presented April 1 as part of the 16th annual ELECTRIC POWER conference and exhibition at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. The 2014 Faraday Award recipients are:
- American Electric Power and Incremental Systems Corp. for their Power4Vets program, representing an investor-owned utility partnership with a small business.
- Dominion Resources and the Center for Energy Workforce Development for their Troops to Energy program, representing an investor-owned utility partnership with a non-profit organization.
- Siemens Energy and Central Piedmont Community College for their Apprenticeship Charlotte program, representing an industry-sector partnership with education.
“The electric power industry faces a workforce challenge at the same time veterans are looking for meaningful and rewarding careers,” says Jamie Reesby, ELECTRIC POWER show director. “Veterans in Power and the Faraday Awards celebrate leadership that is bringing veterans into the industry and then helping to mentor those veterans in their careers. These six honorees will always have a special place as the first recipients of the Faraday Award.”
“The power industry is doing the right thing by looking to veterans for outstanding employees,” says Matt Sadinsky, CEO of PReP Intl. “Not only do many veterans possess skills that are readily transferrable to the power industry, but most also have a strong sense of mission, which is critical not only to the military but to the power industry. Veterans in Power and the Faraday Awards should help encourage companies across the power sector to recruit, retain, and mentor veterans as a valued part of their workforce.”
The AEP/Incremental Systems Corp. program, Power4Vets, is a workforce development training program that prepares military veterans to become NERC Certified Power System Operators through simulation training and focused studies. It also provides coaching and mentoring for job interviews, resume preparation, and job placement assistance. Since its inception, 61 vets have become NERC Certified, 57 have transitioned from military to power industry careers, 36 have transferred from other jobs to power industry careers, and 68 vets have either trained for or upgraded to better jobs in the industry.
The Dominion Resources/Center for Workforce Development program, Troops to Energy, began as a pilot program in September 2011 and was launched nationally in June 2013. Over that period, Dominion has hired more than 270 military veterans, meaning that nearly one of every four Dominion hires since the program began has been a veteran.
The Siemens Energy/Central Piedmont Community College program, Apprenticeship Charlotte, aims to build a pipeline of qualified employees by combining classroom and workplace learning. The program is unique not only because the apprentices are paid by Siemens while they are at work, but they are also paid to attend class. Their tuition and books are also paid for by Siemens.
To learn more about Veterans in Power and the Faraday Awards, visit the ELECTRIC POWER website at www.electricpowerexpo.com.
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