ACT and the Center for Energy Workforce Development Partner to Build the Energy Industry Workforce of Tomorrow

ACT and the Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD) have formed a partnership designed to provide a common entry point for persons interested in pursuing energy industry careers.

The National Career Readiness Certificate, which is a nationally portable skills credential that measures essential skills necessary for workplace success, is a key element at the foundation of a new skills certification system for careers in the energy industry.

Formed in March 2006, CEWD is a nonprofit consortium of electric, natural gas, and nuclear utilities and their associations: Edison Electric Institute, American Gas Association, Nuclear Energy Institute, and National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. CEWD was formed to help utilities work together to develop solutions to the coming workforce shortage in the utility industry.

CEWD membership represents nearly 75 percent of the nation’s electric and natural gas utility employees. The results of a 2009 survey by CEWD predict that by 2015, nearly half of the engineers and skilled technicians in the industry will need to be replaced due to potential retirement or attrition. The CEWD skills certification system is designed to respond to that need by establishing a Pathways Model that provides a road map for entry into skilled energy industry positions. ACT will use its decades of research data and expertise to assist CEWD in this endeavor.

“We are excited to collaborate with CEWD to help provide a systematic approach to certifying critical foundational skills. This partnership has key similarities with our agreements with the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER),” said Martin Scaglione, president and chief operating officer, ACT Workforce Development Division.

“In each instance, the National Career Readiness Certificate issued by ACT will provide a common standard of measurement for assessing workers’ foundational skills. The Certificate supports a tiered pyramid of stackable industry credentials. Employers in manufacturing, construction, and now energy can be confident that individuals who earn a National Career Readiness Certificate will have the core foundational and learning skills needed to begin successful career paths in that industry,” he added.

CEWD Executive Director Ann Randazzo said, “It is imperative that we understand what it will take to get potential candidates properly trained and ready to move into entry-level positions as quickly as possible. ACT’s workforce development solutions, including WorkKeys^® assessments and the National Career Readiness Certificate, as well as ACT’s international reputation as a data-driven assessment firm, make it an ideal partner for CEWD as we begin the process of building tomorrow’s energy workforce.”

CEWD recently announced receipt of a $1.37 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to prepare low-income adults, ages 16 to 26, in eight states, for energy industry careers. ACT WorkKeys assessments and the National Career Readiness Certificate will be part of the Basic Training phase for CEWD’s “Get into Energy” Career Pathways program funded by this grant.