The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is backstopping an effort to bring veterans into the utility power industry.
Working together with the U.S. Department of Labor, Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as five utility trade associations, the DOE will recruit and train service members, veterans and military spouses to qualify for utility industry jobs.
Dubbed the Utility Industry Workforce Initiative, the effort aims to capitalize on the skills sets that veterans already possess and apply them to critical gaps in the nation's energy infrastructure.
With more than 200,000 veterans leaving the military annually and projections indicating 1.5 million additional energy jobs by 2030, the timing seems to align. Many companies in the wind industry, such as Siemens, already have recruitment programs tailored to veterans.
Founding private-sector members of the initiative include the Edison Electric Institute, the Center for Energy Workforce Development, the Nuclear Energy Institute, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and the American Gas Association.
To read the fact sheet, click here.
