POWER June 2014 - 66

ELECTRIC POWER 2014 ROUNDUP
Veterans Bring Needed Skills to
the Utility Industry
As reports abound about the aging workforce in U.S. power plants, ex-military personnel
offer battle-tested dependability and proven leadership to an industry
in need of their skills.
Aaron Larson
W
e all know someone who either
is, or was, in the military. In fact,
many utility industry professionals
were once in the military themselves. Personnel
learn many valuable lessons in the armed
forces. Teamwork, discipline, reliability,
dedication, initiative, and leadership are all
important traits instilled in military members.
The ability to give and follow directions, get
along with others, work under pressure, and
conform to rules are drilled into service men
and women in all branches from the day they
sign on the dotted line.
In case you hadn't noticed, many, if not
all, of those traits are important in the power
sector too, so when you need someone who
can be counted on to do a job in accordance
with detailed requirements, consider a current
or ex-military member. Yes, I said " current " ;
many active reserve and National
Guard members are working in power plants
across the country and are doing a great job.
Although it requires a little extra effort to
schedule around weekend duty and summer
drills, many companies are successfully handling
that task.
During the ELECTRIC POWER Conference
& Exhibition (EP) held in New Orleans
in early April, the first-ever Faraday Awards
were presented in the EP Theater. The awards
were part of the Veterans in Power (VIP) initiative
and recognized employers, programs,
and partnerships that have successfully focused
on elevating the careers of American
veterans in the energy industry.
The awards are named after Michael
Faraday, who published work on electromagnetic
rotation-the principle behind the
electric motor-and discovered electromagnetic
induction-the principle behind the
electric transformer and generator-in the
early 19th century.
A Ready Resource
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported
in March that the unemployment rate for veterans
who served on active duty in the U.S.
Armed Forces at any time since September
66
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2001-a group referred to as Gulf War-era
II veterans-was 9.0% in 2013. With a total
of 2.8 million Gulf War-era II veterans, that
leaves a pool of 252,000 well-qualified personnel
waiting in the wings for an opportunity
to utilize their technical skills. Utilities
stand to benefit, if they can find a way to tap
this resource.
The Faraday Awards recognize outstanding
efforts in the electric power sector to recruit,
train, retain, and mentor veterans who
are entering or reentering civilian careers after
serving their country in the armed forces.
Awards were presented in three categories.
American Electric Power (AEP) and Incremental
Systems Corp. were recognized
for their investor-owned utility and small
business partnership-Power4Vets. Power4Vets
is a workforce development training
program that prepares military veterans to
become North American Electric Reliability
Corp. (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 veterans have become
1. American Electric Power (AEP)
and Incremental Systems Corp.
(IncSys) Faraday Award presentation.
Left to right: David Wagman, ELECTRIC
POWER; Matt Sadinsky, Prequalified
Ready Employees for Power International;
Scott Smith, AEP; Mike Anderson, AEP; Robin
Podmore, IncSys; and David Miranda, Power4Vets.
Source: POWER/Aaron Larson
NERC certified, 57 have transitioned from
military to power industry careers, 36 have
transferred from other jobs to power industry
careers, and 68 have trained for, or upgraded
to, better jobs in the industry.
Scott Smith, senior vice president of transmission
strategy and business operation for
AEP, noted that AEP employees more than
20,000 people. When it began its veterans
hiring initiative, roughly 9% of the workforce
was made up of ex-military personnel.
Since that time, the percentage of veterans
has risen to 12%.
The second award was given to Siemens
Energy and Central Piedmont Community
College for their Apprenticeship Charlotte
program, which aims to build a pipeline of
qualified employees by combining classroom
and workplace learning. One unique
aspect of the program is that Siemens Energy
pays apprentices while they are attending
classes and also reimburses them for tuition
and books.
The third award was presented to Dominion
Resources and the Center for Energy
Workforce Development for their
Troops to Energy Jobs program. The team
was recognized as an outstanding example
of an investor-owned utility partnership
with a nonprofit organization. Troops to
Energy Jobs began as a pilot program in
September 2011 and launched nationally in
June 2013. Dominion has hired more than
270 military veterans, which equates to
about 25% of Dominion's new hires since
the program began.
" These three have really stood out, not just
by success of the number of veterans hired,
but their view of the program and the way that
they integrate for long-term retention, " said
Matt Sadinsky, CEO of Prequalified Ready
Employees for Power International, who collaborated
with EP to present the awards.
Making the Link
Connecting with veterans can be challenging,
especially in areas of the country far
from military bases. " We had a veteran's rePOWER
| June 2014
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POWER June 2014

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