Techniques Nov-Dec 2012 - 29

Business and Industry Partnerships

Nuclear Generation Station celebrated its 20th consecutive year as the nation’s largest power producer in 2012. A major employer in the region, the company expects to hire over 800 employees within the next five years. Arizona Public Service (APS), which operates and is part owner of Palo Verde, reached out to EMCC to help feed its workforce over a decade ago. “It was through APS’s involvement with the CEWD that we were brought into the mix,” says Goodman. “They basically said, ‘You’re coming along with us. We’re in this together!’” For APS, joining forces with Goodman and EMCC was a no-brainer. “Nearly a quarter of APS’s workforce is eligible to retire today, so we are concerned about our talent pipelines,” says Lori Sundberg, senior vice president, human resources and ethics at APS.

“Clay Goodman and the Estrella Mountain team have demonstrated time and again that they understand the needs of business, know how to work with business and take concrete actions to help us ensure we have the talent we need today and tomorrow,” says Sundberg. The CEWD also knows the power of partnership. Its approach is to work with its industry members and community colleges throughout the country to recruit and train students in a common way for employment in the energy industry. The CEWD devised an energy competency model focused on developing baseline energy employability skills that are essential to any job. “The program emphasizes personal effectiveness and the importance of academic and workplace competencies,” says Goodman. EMCC’s Energy Institute curriculum lays the groundwork

for students to learn these competencies, as well as offers coursework necessary to earn foundational certificates that are transferrable to energy employers across the country. The CEWD competency model is an excellent complement to the newly adopted Arizona Employability Skills Standards developed by the Arizona Skills Standards Commission. The Commission worked in conjunction with state businesses and industries to identify and define critical skill sets students need to acquire to be successful in the workplace. As students move through the Get Into Energy Pathway, they are not only learning about the energy industry but are also acquiring the specific soft skills that industry has defined as important. “Technical skills will help get you the job, and the soft skills will help you keep it,” explains Goodman.

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November/December 2012

Techniques

Techniques Nov-Dec 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Techniques Nov-Dec 2012