CHICAGO - ComEd joined industry and education partners from the region to host 'Powering Your Career Path,' a community career event at the United Center to inspire and recruit more young people to consider career pathways in STEM fields at ComEd. The event attracted 2,000 local students and included over 70 career booths, leadership panel discussions, networking opportunities and informational sessions designed to help the next generation prepare for employment in roles that will support the clean energy transition.
'There's never been a more exciting time to work at ComEd and in our industry, as we expand to meet new demand for clean energy and ensure that all of our communities are equipped to address climate change,' said ComEd President and COO Terence R. Donnelly. 'Today's career event is part of a comprehensive effort to engage diverse young talent from the communities that we proudly serve in preparing for the careers of tomorrow, including hundreds of family sustaining jobs that we will fill in the next couple of years right here at ComEd.'
At the career day, students visited on-site demonstrations, gathered information on scholarships at the college center, and attended informational and networking sessions with ComEd leaders, who described growing positions within the company, such as construction and trades, engineering, IT, HR, finance, and administration. More than 50 local schools participated, including more than 20 Chicago Public Schools (CPS).
'Today's ComEd Career Day event offers students a wonderful opportunity to explore many STEM career options and meet individuals who currently work in these fields,' said CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. 'We want students to learn not only how they can enter these fields but thrive and advance as experts and leaders.'
ComEd has committed to expanding its workforce in the years ahead, with plans to onboard at least 500 entry-level craft roles in the next two years. This expansion will support ComEd as it prepares for the clean energy transition in Illinois, which requires new skilled talent to support integration of new technologies that will reduce carbon emissions and prepare grid infrastructure to be resilient in the face of more extreme weather from climate change and increased demand as a result of the adoption of more electric vehicles (EVs).
Entry into the energy and STEM sector provides an opportunity for future leaders to make an impact on climate change, while earning good pay. Industry data show that careers in the utilities offer a competitive wage - as much as 35 percent higher than other U.S. industries (US Energy and Employment Report, 2021). At ComEd, the average starting pay for an overhead helper, a gateway position to line worker, is $29 an hour, plus benefits.
'IBEW Local 15 is proud to partner with ComEd to prepare the workforce of the future, starting with our next generation,' said Terry McGoldrick, President of IBEW Local 15. 'Today's ComEd Career Day offers area students an important look into what it takes to serve in rewarding roles in the electrical trades, which we know will be increasingly critical to powering Illinois communities safely in the years ahead.'
ComEd's investments in training and recruitment help create a local talent pipeline that is prepared to meet the future demands, as clean energy jobs are on the rise. Last year alone, the U.S. energy sector added more than 300,000 new jobs, outpacing overall U.S. employment growth (USEER 2022). Growth of the energy sector is expected to skyrocket thanks to significant federal investments that will help catalyze clean energy infrastructure development via the Inflation Reduction Act and the IIJA.
To prepare a diverse and skilled talent pipeline, ComEd offers a range of in-depth job training and apprenticeship style programs, including the CONSTRUCT Infrastructure Academy, Dawson Tech Overhead Electrical Line Workers training program - a partnership with the City Colleges of Chicago - and scholarship programs to support students in obtaining STEM degrees. As a result of ongoing investment to expand training and education programs, last year nearly 1,700 local residents were impacted by ComEd job training and STEM education programs.
ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ: EXC), a Fortune 200 energy company with approximately 10 million electricity and natural gas customers - the largest number of customers in the U.S. ComEd powers the lives of more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state's population. For more information visit ComEd.com, and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
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