Contact First Name: Robert

BEST PRACTICES Workforce Development Coordinating Council

Program Type or Target Population: Holding / Parent Company

Target: Energy companies that have multiple subsidiaries in generation (varying fuel types), transmission, and distribution in multiple states where each business unit functions independently from a budget & planning perspective, i.e., most investor owned utility companies! Create a company-wide Workforce Development Coordinating Council that coordinates the workforce development initiatives among an energy company’s numerous independently operating stove piped subsidiaries.

How To:

Step 1: Most new Corporate Initiatives require executive sponsorship and inclusion in the business planning process. Identify the executive leadership champion on the issue of workforce development, usually within training or human resources, to sponsor the Workforce Development Initiative and get it into the business plan.

Step 2: Dedicate/hire a full-time Manager or Director of Workforce Development to serve as the project lead.

Step 3: Form a Workforce Development Advisory Board consisting of senior executives from each of the business units for purposes of adopting a Charter for the Workforce Development Initiative, securing executive leadership buy-in across the corporation, setting priorities, and approving the establishment of a company-wide work group with participation from each business unit.

Step 4: Establish the Workforce Development Coordinating Council (WFDCC) and appoint two members from each business unit, usually one from HR and one from Training, to serve on the Council. The WFDCC members are the main point of contact for all things workforce development for that business unit or site.

Step 5: Establish duties for the members and communications mechanisms to share information across company lines.

Step 6: Host an internal (Company Name) Workforce Development Summit at a centralized location to kick off the WFDCC so that all members are on the same page and have the opportunity to meet, face to face, their counterparts in other divisions.

Step 7: Keep the internal communication going and begin to coordinate and prioritize projects as a company, not individual business units.

Funding Sources Label: Initial costs will vary depending on how your company approaches supporting the initiative. Will an existing employee be reassigned or one hired? Will the initiative be an independent division or absorbed into HR or Training somewhere?

Start-up costs include:  Salary & benefits of Director of Workforce Development;  Overhead office expenses including office space, computer, phone, and supplies;  Travel expenses, especially if your company serves multiple states;  Association membership expenses (CEWD, EPCE, regional consortiums); and  Kick-off summit.

Since coordinating council members have other primary job functions closely associated with parts of workforce development, their cost is "level of effort."

Funding Sources: Ideally, the Division of Workforce Development would be its own budget item, preferably in the corporate office, thereby increasing access and influence to the subsidiary business units. Absent a corporate dedicated budget, multiple business units can chip in toward the salary and benefits, with one business unit agreeing to cover other business related expenses with their respective budget.

In this case, 3 business units contribute toward the Director’s salary and benefits. On of those three covers the additional office and travel expense within its existing budget. Membership dues were covered fully or in part by two other business units who did not contribute toward the salary. I am a Division of One with no budget and a lot of Masters who pay my bills and expect dedicated service. Coordinating Council members’ expenses are absorbed in their existing department budgets as this initiative is an ancillary assignment to their primary job function.

Results: The primary results are enhanced communication, awareness, coordination, and staff attention within the company regarding workforce development. There is a single point of contact, the Director, to oversee and coordinate multiple divisions’ individual efforts into a more coordinated approach. Additionally, there are two staff members at each site and/or business unit that are engaged and responsible for keeping their unit coordinated as part of the overall company initiative. Each business unit has cataloged all of the individual efforts; both volunteer and company funded, involving existing educational partnerships or programs. They share best practices and ideas during monthly conference calls and the annual summit.

The “aha” moment was highlighting that multiple business units were separately engaged in the same school without the other business units’ knowledge. It has even assisted in bridging the structural divide that exists among different fuel types on the generation side of the business as well as the divide between generation and transmission & distribution in a partially deregulated market. Individual business units are now seeing the benefit of a coordinated effort and the resources that are brought to bear by working across the organizational charts. While there is still competition among business units to solve their individual problem first, there is a greater sense that we are one company and in this together. By focusing on our common workforce challenges, we will be better able to address the unique workforce challenges in each of our business units.

Lessons Learned: Bring the Workforce Development Coordinating Council together in person for the kick off summit sooner rather than later, and do it in person. Workforce Development is distinctly different than the traditional function of human resource and training. The WFDCC members come from those disciplines. Plus, since this taskforce assignment is an added job duty, you really need to take them out of their workplace for full- day indoctrination. Tear down the artificial stove pipe walls quickly and aggressively. Bring nuclear, fossil, and pipes & wires folks to the same table quickly to find out what they have in common and are already have in place. Unless you are dedicated to focusing on the workforce needs of one business unit, i.e. nuclear, fossil, T&D, avoid having the Director housed in one of the stove pipes if this is truly a company wide effort. Imagine this - there are actually rivalries between fossil and nuclear, hard feelings between regulated and deregulated sides of the business, and built assets vs. acquired assets. Whatever dynamic exists in your company, avoid letting it affect a unified Workforce Development Coordinating Council. One Director cannot do all the work, so identify your champion in the business units, appoint them to the WFDCC, and remind them consistently that this is part of their job now too!

James Rzepkowski Constellation Energy Baltimore, Maryland Phone: (410) 897-5013 Email: [email protected] Intern Program

Target Population: University or other 4 Year College

The key to a successful internship program is the recognition and understanding by the CEO, Senior Staff and Board of Directors of current and upcoming workforce challenges. The commitment and support of the senior staff is critical to helping the internship program align to the company's mission, values and strategic goals. The purpose of the internship program is to assist in preparing for the future labor pool trends by attracting and educating potential workers into careers in the utility industry.

Benefits for the Company:  Identify highly talented candidates for current and future employment consideration.  Additional support for business goals and/or special projects.  Information Gainshare provides an ongoing learning environment for students and existing staff, sharing knowledge and best practices.  To proactively target diverse candidates.  Support and build relationships & partnerships with targeted educational institutions.

Benefits for the Intern:  Experience with exposure to the business world, the utilities industry, and the company.  Opportunity to apply school concepts to real business situations.  Opportunity to build a business network and explore career interests.  Opportunity to increase knowledge, skills and abilities.

Benefit for the Educational Institution:  Allows industry to participate in curriculum development to target overall and specific needs.  Accomplish goal of establishing a pipeline of qualified applicants - placement rate.  Help students understand what companies and industry needs is looking for in candidates and plan coursework accordingly.

How To: Positive experiences are critical to achieving the strategic and program goals. The intent is to provide a meaningful experience with exposure to the business world, the utilities industry and the company. To accomplish this, there must be mutually developed & agreed upon learning objectives. The objectives should include challenging responsibilities with ongoing guidance and feedback.

Program Requirements: Considerations for School Selection  Support business needs and target market  Developed partnerships  Understanding of curriculum and how it meets the business needs.  Level of student diversity populations  Leadership recommendations.  Understanding of recruiting cycles and procedures.  Campus Recruitment Fairs and Classroom 1-1. Program Requirements: Intern  Competencies/Skills tied to Great River Energy's success pyramid including communication skills, interpersonal skills, teamwork abilities and innovation.  Minimum GPA requirements  Additional position requirements determined as part of the Staffing & Selection process.

Program Requirements: Program Sponsor  Supervisor Time Expectation - Interns need on-going guidance and feedback, which often times require more direction than a new hire.  Supervisors need to be prepared to meet necessary time expectations.  Provide on-going feedback is critical to obtain the highest level of contribution for Great River Energy. *Demonstrate a supportive culture.  Keep interns informed about ongoing developments & opportunities.

Program Requirements: Intern  Through the internship program feedback collection process, determine areas and focus for improvement.  Continuous development in key competency areas.  Fulfill learning objectives and job responsibilities.

Funding Sources: Duration, Cost and Funding: The duration of the internship varies by position and business needs. Internships vary amongst 2 year technical and craft programs as well as 4 year degree programs. Examples:  A 3-month internship in engineering as well as a 9-month internships - January through August and May through December.  3-month Maintenance Mechanic  3- and 9-month Electrical Technician  15-month Operations Internship Budgeting/Planning

Interns will be budgeted through the annual budgeting and planning process. Interns do not count towards department's FTE allocation.

Results: Great River Energy's success with the internship program is twofold. We have successfully filled each internship position that we have posted within the last four years.

From the internships that have successfully met the expectations and requirements of the program, we have placed 65% into available positions, as they have opened within our company. We continue to utilize the program and have expanded the types of internships that we offer as the educational institutions expand their programs in response to industry's need.

Example: Maintenance Mechanic program

Example: Bismarck State College is in process of developing and offering an Instrumentation and Controls program starting in late 2008/2009. We will also expand our internship program to include interns in our Instrumentation department.

Lessons Learned: 1. Be sure to stress with the intern candidates that there is No Guarantee of employment, but opportunities do become available. 2. Ensure that supervisors and mentors are prepared for the time commitment needed to help provide a meaningful internship experience. Meaningful work provides a meaningful experience and the time commitment is critical to ensuring that the project or business needs are accomplished.

3. Be familiar with the curriculum that is offered by the educational institutions. Feedback to the institution on student preparation is vital to the success of their program as well as to the future success of their program.

Kelly Schatz-Jennings Great River Energy Underwood, North Dakota Phone: (701) 442-7019 Email: [email protected] Electric Power & Distribution Program

Target Population: Technical Institute

Manhattan Area Technical College, in Manhattan Kansas has the premier Electric Power and Distribution program in the region. We feel that it would be beneficial to those who use your web site to include our program as a training site. We train 32 linemen a year to include a summer internship in the middle of their program. We have a 100% placement rate and usually a one year waiting list.

To learn more about our program please contact either instructors Brent Boring or Rex Fair or me and we will be more than happy to answer any and all questions. Keep up the great work.

Dr. Rob Edleston, President Manhattan Area Technical College 785-587-2800 ext 100.

Manhattan Area Technical College Manhattan, Kansas Phone: (785) 587-2800 Email: [email protected] Get Into Energy Tech Camp

Target Population: Middle School

On July 17-19, 2007, 30 children including 12 Spanish-speaking students (entering grades 5- 8) took part in the first-ever camp to feature careers in the energy industry. Get Into Energy 2007 Tech Camp was sponsored by Wisconsin Public Service and the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 310, along with Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC). The camp was held from 8:00 AM until 11:30 AM at NWTC. Get Into Energy is designed to increase middle school students’ awareness about the operation of energy companies and the wide array of highly skilled and high-wage careers available in these organizations. The goal of the camp is to get students excited about energy and the prospect of choosing a career in this vital industry. Active student participation and hands-on exploration was emphasized over the three-day camp. The campers became familiar with the variety of occupations in the utility industry and practiced skills required for entry into the trades, e.g., math problem-solving and computation, measuring, reading technical terms and procedures, and even some mechanical skills.

How To: The planning began in November of 2006, through a grant from WPS, the IBEW Great Lakes Training partnership developed the curriculum and the idea of a camp for middle school aged students. We found a natural partner with Northeast Wisconsin Technical College and their already existing and successful summer Tech Camp programs. We actively recruited students through mailings and school visits. About a dozen employees (line electricians, gas mechanics, HR and Public Relations staff) from Wisconsin Public Service participated as the camp instructors. The brochure, complete agenda, and a summary of the student evaluations are available upon request. We also have a ton of cool pictures to tell the story!

Funding Sources: Our startup costs were approx. $4,500, which does not include the volunteer time of our instructors. Now that we have the materials and curriculum developed, the cost to reproduce and expand to other communities should only be the labor/time of our staff. Our partner, NWTC, donated the use of the facilities, snacks for kids, and the end of the camp luncheon for participants. They also provided a cool backpack for each student. Other funding sources include Wisconsin Public Service Foundation $4,500 Northeast Wisconsin Technical College - in kind donations of printing, classroom space, treats, backpacks, and lunch.

Results: Thirty area middle school age students participated, including 12 Hispanic students. A summary of the student evaluations are available upon request. We do plan to continue this program in 2008 and hope to expand to other communities in our service area.

Lessons Learned: This was a new partnership that we embarked on. One suggestion I have when forming new partnerships, is to document well everyone's expectations and what it is they plan to contribute.

Karmen Lemke Wisconsin Public Service Corporation Green Bay, Wisconsin Phone: (920) 433-1433 Email: [email protected]