#UtilityCareers in the Pennsylvania Spotlight

It is often said that big ideas begin with a small spark, and that's exactly what happened in Pennsylvania in late-September with the launch of an enhanced #UtilityCareers campaign. Supported by a wide-reaching group of utilities, state agencies, legislative and community leaders and educational institutions, the statewide and ever-growing initiative includes new videos and website materials aimed at encouraging more talented candidates to consider careers in the utility sector. 

The initial challenge from Pennsylvania PUC Chairman Gladys Brown and the Commissioners was to identify ways to better showcase employment opportunities at the Commission as well as the utilities we regulate. The PUC - like so many of our utilities and other organizations - faces issues related to the "baby boomer bubble," and the steady outflow of experienced staffers who are reaching retirement age. Quickly, the Pennsylvania plan evolved to include a variety of state and national efforts related to utilities and commissions, including NARUC initiatives regarding workforce development and outreach to veterans.

Doing the Homework

The foundation of every good communications initiative is research, which guides both planning and execution. With the support and involvement of our Commissioners, research for the #UtilityCareers campaign has included a series of school visits, roundtable discussions, educational summits and other opportunities to meet and discuss issues with utilities, educators and young people. Together, we worked to identify common factors, develop a statewide perspective and identify key audiences. 

Those behind-the-scenes efforts also helped build support from stakeholders across sectors such as trade schools, community colleges and universities; technology councils and STEM programs; and key state agencies, such as the state departments of Labor and Industry, Education and Military and Veterans Affairs.

Shaping the Message

Mirroring a national trend, about one-third of the current Pennsylvania utility workforce is approaching retirement. And, while individual utilities have all been working hard to address their individual needs - and as schools and training programs gear up to address a rapidly growing demand for skilled candidates - we identified an opportunity for the Commission to collaborate with all key stakeholders to elevate discussion about this topic. 

A potential problem (the need for a new generation of skilled workers) has transformed into a statewide discussion about opportunity (with data showing that utility jobs are growing faster, with wages that are substantially higher, than the overall statewide averages). And, the demand spans a wide range of services and training levels - from engineers, IT specialists and cybersecurity personnel to line workers and other field skills, as well as plan operators, analysts, technicians, mechanics, customer service representatives and more. Adding to the opportunity is the knowledge that these are community-based, family-sustaining, career-building positions, with institutions that have a long history of service and will be operating well into the future. 

Hiding in Plain Sight

Research has shown that the generation of Americans currently in school, known as Gen Z, are the most technologically-connected, most educated and most diverse generation we have seen. They are also very financially motivated, having witnessed the struggles of parents and siblings during the economic depression of the late 2000s. They are looking for careers that will provide economic security, and the flexibility and independence that goes along with a solid financial foundation. 

Unfortunately, utilities often operate in the background. They work so well and are so reliable that they "hide in plain sight," only noticed when something goes wrong. And, in those rare situations where the lights do go out, a water line ruptures, or there is some other problem, the work that most members of the public see involves field crews repairing power lines and digging up streets. What they don't see is the massive amount of time, effort, ingenuity and problem-solving that goes into keeping our essential systems running 24/7 - and they certainly don't see the thought and time being invested in developing the systems of tomorrow. 

Connecting to the Audience

In many regards, utilities are victims of their own success. Our systems have operated so reliably for so long that the average citizen takes service for granted. And that certainly applies to the average middle-school or high-school student, even though the technology they are so connected to would not function without our utilities - and the same applies to the "tech giants" they are so drawn to. Pulling back the curtain to help this rising generation understand the opportunities available, the skills needed and the potential rewards - economic and social - is the current focus for Pennsylvania. 

The latest tools in our arsenal include videos targeted specifically at the social channels where Gen Z searches for information, along with continued outreach with utilities, sister agencies and schools. A new #UtilityCareers portal - www.PAUtilityCareers.com - provides a central go-to source for a growing pool of information about the many programs and opportunities available to job-seekers.

Next Steps

The late-September launch of new materials is the first step in the next phase of PUC outreach, with a myriad of additional events on the horizon: school visits, career fairs, veterans' outreach, greater coordination among various state agencies involved in workforce development. Immediately following the recent premiere of new #UtilityCareers materials, the PUC was invited to develop a pilot program that could help bring utility workers and human resource teams into secondary technical schools, to help students currently learning trade skills better understand how their training could connect them to opportunities they may not have ever considered.

Additionally, collaborative planning is under way with a local science and technology university to better showcase the STEM-related work currently underway in utilities across the state, and the strong demand for a new generation of people and ideas to carry our systems into the future. In Pennsylvania, we are deeply grateful for the strong support demonstrated by our utilities. Their leadership, human resources and communications teams have jumped at the opportunity to highlight this important issue, and they have participated and helped amplify our events. The same applies to sister state agencies, with strong support from their leadership and the Governor's Office. And schools across the state have also welcomed us with open arms. In that respect, the program is already successful, and we are optimistic for the future.