Michigan’s evolving energy industry, one of the state’s largest employers, will be in the spotlight next week, as part of a national campaign to recruit talent for the energy workforce of the future.
Gov. Rick Snyder has proclaimed Oct. 13-19 as “Careers in Energy” week to raise awareness about a sector that boasts 84,000 jobs in Michigan and creates more than 1,200 new opportunities a year. In addition, Consumers Energy and DTE Energy collectively provide more than 500 internship and co-op jobs for high school and college students.
The Michigan Energy Workforce Development Consortium, an industry partnership of 30 organizations led by Consumers Energy and DTE Energy, is joining several other states to promote energy career opportunities ranging from line workers to power plant operators, customer service representatives to accountants, technicians to engineers.
Consortium members will reach out to 32,000 elementary and secondary students, while recruiting the best and the brightest students for 2015 co-op, internships and full-time opportunities from at least 13 college campuses. The Consumers Energy and DTE Energy foundations, which have collectively contributed more than $3 million annually to educational entities, will continue to support youth education.
In addition, the Great Lake States energy consortia, and the Center for Energy Workforce Development, will launch a new web site about energy careers and the industry.
“Companies like Consumers Energy and DTE Energy are leading the way in the development of alternative energy, including wind power and energy efficiency, where a growing number of jobs are being created,” said Marcia Black-Watson, industry talent director, Workforce Development Agency, state of Michigan.
At the same time, the industry is aging. Black-Watson adds half of the workers in Michigan’s utility sector will leave the industry over the next five to seven years, creating the opportunity to bring new talent into the skilled trades and the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields.
“Our company has been serving Michigan for 127 years. Bringing in new talent and filling the shoes of those who have paved the way previously is critical to our ability to continue serving the people of Michigan for another century,” said John Butler, Consumers Energy’s senior vice president of human resources and shared services.
“DTE is collaborating with industry peers, the educational community, governmental agencies and other organizations to ensure that workforce development is top of mind, and qualified and diverse candidates are ready to assume these roles when the time is right,” said Larry Steward, senior vice president of Human Resources for DTE Energy.
For more information about careers in the energy industry, visit the following web sites: Consumers Energy at ConsumersEnergy.com/careers, DTE Energy at dteenergy.com/energycareersweek or the Center for Energy Workforce Development at cewd.org.
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