Atlantic City Electric’s Organization of Latinos at Exelon (OLE) employee resource group (ERG) recently partnered with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 210 to spark an interest in future energy careers at Williamson College of the Trades (Williamson). Alfonso Nava, senior manager, Substations, explains the inspiration behind the collaboration and how we’re supporting local workforce development.

How long has Atlantic City Electric (ACE) worked with Williamson, and what sparked the idea to expand the partnership?

Alfonso Nava: One of our automatic line equipment technicians, Jack McGuire, who’s also the President of the IBEW Local 210, is a graduate of Williamson. Several years ago, he brought attention to the school by simply saying, “Hey, I know this local school – Williamson Trade School – it’s a college that has a variety of disciplines and one is focused on electric trades.” This one conversation is what led to us expanding our partnership with the school. We have participated in previous career fairs, but this was the first time that we offered an actual career presentation to a group of students.

What was Atlantic City Electric hoping to accomplish during the visit to Williamson?

AN: The Williamson College of the Trades is a vocational technical school, where they have a discipline that is focused on electrical work. One of our main goals at Atlantic City Electric is to raise awareness about the different careers in the utility industry and find ways to connect emerging talent to the engineering and technical careers that are available here.

Tell me more about the event – who attended from ACE and Local 210? How do you see this event further strengthening our partnership with Local 210?

AN: We had participation from our senior leadership, electric maintenance team, overhead team, and Local 210 union leadership and relay technicians. We split 50 students in two different groups – the first focused on engineering careers and the opportunities in the utility industry where a degree may be needed, like project management. Then, in partnership with Local 210, they focused on the technical careers. One of our Shop Stewards explained their role with substations and how it related to what the students are currently learning. We also spoke to the safety aspect, and why safety is so important in this industry – for our employees, customers, and communities.

This event is one of the many ways that we’re partnering with Local 210 to think outside the box, and to leverage our combined knowledge and expertise to raise awareness about the many job opportunities within the electric industry and at Atlantic City Electric. We have technicians that have been here in the industry for as long as 30 years. Many are at the point of retirement, and in conversations that we’ve had with Local 210, we’ve discussed how important it is to fill in those gaps. This was a great opportunity that we were able to partner to introduce those students to our industry.

Thinking more broadly, how does an event like this one support overall workforce development and economic growth in South Jersey region?

AN: There are some extremely talented individuals who are enrolled at Williamson. Events like this allow us to create connections and spark that interest in joining a company, like Atlantic City Electric, where their talents can be put to great use in their own backyards. There’s a growing demand for skilled workers in this field, and we’re not just filling jobs – we are building a talent pipeline that will keep the local economy strong.

Were there any standout moments or feedback from students who seemed interested in careers with Atlantic City Electric or IBEW Local 210?

AN: After we finished our presentation, we stayed there for an additional hour because a lot of the students came and talked directly to our technicians. They were interested in our overhead lines and substation departments, and I even spoke to some students more about engineering and career progression. It was such a great way to expand the students’ thinking of the industry and make the impact that events like this have on our future workforce.