| Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G) has teamed up with Mercer County Community College (MCCC) and Essex County College (ECC) to offer an exciting new Associate Degree in Energy Utility Technology -- the first ever in New Jersey. Through a unique blend of general coursework, specialized in-class training and hands-on work experience, the Associate Degree in Energy Utility Technology can help you get started on a career in one of New Jersey’s most stable and essential industries with one of the state’s oldest and most well-respected corporate partners, PSE&G. Specialized curriculum provided by MCCC and ECC will allow graduates to seek skilled positions in the energy utility industry or continue their formal education in a related field.
In 2002, PSE&G launched an important business initiative aimed at accomplishing two things:
- Developing a corporate workforce better representative of the customer it serves.
- Creating a pool of technically skilled and educated workers to fill entry-level positions in its gas and electric departments.
PSE&G partnered with Mercer County Community College (MCCC) to create its first ever Energy Utility Technology Associate Degree Program.
The groundbreaking initiative is helping to expand its pool of qualified candidates interested in careers in the company. The program expanded to include Essex County College (ECC) in January 2004. There are currently 40 students in the program. Twenty-five from MCCC and fifteen from ECC. Four of the students are women. Students must pass the applicable permanent employment test to be hired by the company. The tests are administered every three months to students in the program.
Curriculum:
Students are required to take five utility courses and complete two paid internships. Students cannot do the same internship twice. The program also offers students comprehensive training in safety, resume writing, interviewing, and employability skills. There are seven internship positions available– two in gas and five in electric.
- The internships run from mid-May to the beginning of September.
- Students can earn anywhere from $14.00 to $17.00 per hour in an internship.
- The internship positions are represented by one of the three unions participating in the program. Student will be required to join (depending on the position) the OPEIU, Local 855 or the I.B.E.W and pay weekly dues.
- Student progress is monitored during the internship. Students are required to complete a job checklist that verifies their knowledge and ability to do the job. The supervisor completes a performance appraisal on each student.
- Seventeen students have been hired by the company: 7 by electric and 10 by gas
- PSEG’s long-term goal is to expand the program to other community colleges in New Jersey. Community colleges PSEG may partner with in the future include Middlesex County Community College, Passaic County College, or Hudson County Community College
- The program is expanding in 2005 to offer students internship opportunities in PSEG Power’s fossil generation business,
PSEG recruits students for the program through the community colleges and via partnerships it’s established with Trenton Central High School, Mercer County VoTech, Technology High School in Newark and Essex County Vocational.
For further information for the Associate Degree in Energy Utility Technology program contact: MCCC – Dean Mark McCormick at 609-586-4800 x3485; ECC – Professor John Gribbin at 973-877-3454; PSE&G –Program Manager Lina Hollman at 973-430-2911.
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